BEIRUT

The Lebanese government confirmed Wednesday that Hezbollah agreed to allow the army to extend its authority in the southern regions of the country.

The government emphasized that the army is the entity authorized to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 in line with a cease-fire agreement with Israel.

Information Minister Ziad Makary said at a news conference following a Cabinet meeting in Beirut that the Cabinet would convene next Saturday in the southern city of Tyre. He noted that the army commander would attend to present the military’s plan for deployment in the south.

Asked about Hezbollah ministers’ willingness to accept the army's deployment and authority under the cease-fire agreement, Makary responded: "Of course, this is an agreement endorsed by the Cabinet, and it has the approval of the Lebanese government and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri."

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem confirmed in a video statement last Friday that coordination between his group and the army "will be at a high level to implement the cease-fire agreement."

"Our perspective on the Lebanese army is that it is a national army in both leadership and personnel, and it will deploy in the south in its homeland, which is our homeland, too," he said.

Responding to a question about the army's ability to deploy in the south, Makary said: "We have confidence in the army, which is tasked with implementing Resolution 1701 with the collective approval of the government, and there is no alternative."

Resolution 1701, adopted on Aug. 11, 2006, calls for a complete halt to hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and the establishment of a weapons-free zone between the Blue Line -- the de facto border between Lebanon and Israel -- and the Litani River in southern Lebanon, with exceptions for the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping mission (UNIFIL).

Under the terms of the cease-fire, Israel is to withdraw its forces south of the Blue Line in a phased manner while the Lebanese army deploys forces in southern Lebanon within a maximum of 60 days.

The agreement took effect Nov. 27, ending more than 14 months of fighting between the Israeli army and the Lebanese resistance group.

Implementation is to be overseen by the US and France, but details on enforcement mechanisms remain unclear.​​​​​​​

At least 14 people were killed and 13 injured in Israeli attacks since the start of the cease-fire last Wednesday, according to an Anadolu tally based on Lebanese Health Ministry figures.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala