According to An Nahar the deployment began at midnight Sunday and lasted till 1:00 pm Monday.

The newspaper added that the deployment would consolidate the 11th army brigade. Some of the units were deployed in the towns of Aita al-Shaab, Beit Lif, al-Qawzah and Ramaya.

French Ambassador Denis Pietton said on Monday that the deployment would be appreciated by all partners of Lebanon participating in UNIFIL.

Following a meeting with Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday Pietton said that the Lebanese army was planning to deploy additional troops in south Lebanon. “I met with Prime Minister Saad Hariri today … who informed me that additional Lebanese troops …one brigade (approximately 1,500 soldiers) …would be deployed in the south beginning today,” ambassador Pietton told reporters.

Lebanon witnessed a lot of tension following protest by south Lebanon residents against UNIFIL.

On July 3, a UNIFIL patrol was attacked and overpowered by residents in the southern village of Kabrikha. Officials said the villagers, after one of them had been arrested, pelted UN troops and seized their weapons.

On June 29, residents attacked a UNIFIL vehicle between the villages of Adeisseh and Kfar Kila. The residents blocked a road and hurled stones toward a UN patrol during what officials termed a “maximum deployment exercise.”

“It is incumbent on the Lebanese authorities to ensure the security and freedom of movement for UNIFIL within its area of operation,” UNIFIL commander Maj. Gen. Alberto Asarta Cuevas said following the attacks .

But Defense Minister Elias Murr  ( shown sitting  next to Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad) has reportedly rejected during the dialogue session held at Baabda Palace on Thursday the merger of Hezbollah weapons with the Lebanese army.

According to observers , Murr’s remarks reflect the thinking of president Michel Suleiman . Murr is one of the ministers in the cabinet that were allocated to the president.

Makari in his statement urged Hezbollah to openly declare that its weapons aimed “exclusively to defend Lebanon against any aggression and are not tied to other axis or alliances.”

“Lebanon’s current defense power could turn into a risk factor if perceived as part of the wider struggle between Iran and the West,” Makari warned.

The dialogue talks , launched in 2006, are aimed at discussing the issue of Hezbollah weapons as part of a national defense strategy.

Makari’s statement following the dialogue talks was according to As Safir a confirmation of what he proposed during the session.

Other disagreements surfaced out yesterday during the talks ;

Former Lebanese president and Phalange Party leader Amin Gemayel, called for adopting a “positive neutrality” by separating Lebanese politics and military from regional and international dangers
The idea, he explained, aims at preserving Lebanon’s stability on the one hand and guaranteeing its support to Arab causes, particularly the Palestinian conflict, on the other hand.

But Progressive Socialist party leader MP Walid Jumblatt criticized Gemayel’s offer, calling for the liberation of Shebaa Farms through “resistance.”

Murr’s position
Murr’s position with regards to Hezbollah is not new
Last March he told Al-Manar television that he does not support integrating the arms of the Resistance within the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).

“There are some Lebanese annoyed by the existence of Hezbollah’s arms, and I could be one of them,” he said, adding, “However, this does not mean we should offer Israel a favor and disarm.

Murr also said that his priority is to successfully defend Lebanese territory.

Murr added that it is not in his interests as the defense minister for arms to belong to parties other than the Lebanese army. However, he said that Hezbollah’s weapons deter Israel.

During a ceremony at the army compound in Jounieh in his honor on Thursday Kahwaji said that Israel and terrorism were awaiting for instability in the country but vowed that “faith in Lebanon won’t be shaken.”

“As long as there is an army that is aware of its responsibilities and a united people that backs it, there is no fear on the future of the nation no matter how strong dangers and challenges were,” Kahwaji said.