armed force

He said that UN resolution 1701 - which calls for the Lebanese state to be the only armed force in southern Lebanon - was "not enough" and the US was looking into what more needed to be done.

If Netanyahu did say on the phone call that he’s ignoring Biden’s warning about restraints on the use of armed force, he may have done so in response to a request by Trump: Don’t accept any cease-fire deal offered by Biden.

Its armed force, at least until the recent hostilities, was viewed as more capable than the Lebanese army, with an arsenal of rockets, missiles and drones.

It has a significant presence in both the Lebanese parliament and government, and controls the most powerful armed force in the country.

It built its reputation as the most effective Arab armed force during Israel’s 18-year occupation of Lebanon’s south, when Lebanese Shiite guerrillas — including Akil — conducted an insurgent campaign that forced the Israel military to withdraw in 2000.