Lebanon’s prime minister visits troops at the country’s tense southern border with Israel

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister has visited troops deployed near the border with Israel and U.N. peacekeepers as Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops clash for a third week. Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s visit Tuesday to the tense southern province is the first since clashes erupted along the border following a surprise attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Israel on Oct. 7.  It also comes two days after Israel’s prime minister visited troops along the border. Mikati and international governments have been scrambling to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding to Lebanon where the powerful Hezbollah group warned Israel about a ground incursion into the blockaded Gaza Strip.