Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon is in a state of war, stressing that the resistance and the government are “doing their duty” against Israel.
Mikati visited on Saturday the southern city of Tyre, where he inspected the Lebanese Army operations center. He also stopped at exam centers in the city, on the first day of the school official exams, accompanied by Education Minister Abbas Halabi
In remarks to reporters, the premier stressed that the resistance is doing its “duties”, and so is the Lebanese government.
“We are always advocates of peace, and our choice is the choice of peace and the implementation of UN Resolution 1701. It is incumbent upon Israel to cease its repeated attacks on Lebanon and halt the war in Gaza, with everyone adhering to UN Resolution 2735,” Mikati stated.
He continued: “The resistance is doing its duty, and the Lebanese government is doing its duty, and our goal is to protect the country in every sense of the word.”
He also praised the army for being the “backbone and shield of the nation.”
“We are in a state of war, and there have been a large number of martyrs among civilians and non-civilians, and many villages have been destroyed due to Israeli aggression,” he stated.
Halabi, for his part, spoke about the difficulties faced by students in the southern border towns given the conflict with Israel.
He had previously announced that buses were secured by the ministry to safely transport students from unstable areas to exam centers, guarded by Lebanese forces and UN peacekeepers.
Many of the students who were assigned centers in areas considered “safe” spoke of the difficulties they faced while preparing for exams, as many of them did not have access to the Internet in the shelter centers or homes to which they were displaced as a result of the Israeli bombing of their towns and villages.
The minister promised to take this issue into consideration, saying: “We will seek the opinion of educators on this matter, especially the Educational Center for Research and Development.”
The South Governorate boasts 29 official exam centers. The number of students who took their exams reached 5,470 out of 5,624.
