BEIRUT, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Israeli troops would be out of Lebanon by the end of September, the commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said on Tuesday.

    "It is my belief that with the necessary cooperation by both parties we should see the (Israeli army's) leave by the end of this month," Maj. Gen. Alain Pellegrini, commander of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL), said in a statement after meeting senior Israeli and Lebanese army officers.

    During the meeting, Pellegrini discussed with the two sides the ongoing Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the area in line with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.

    The resolution authorizes an increase of an existing UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to 15,000 troops to help Lebanese troops take control of southern Lebanon as Israel withdraws in parallel.

    Under the deal, Israel should transfer control of its positions in southern Lebanon to the UN force, which will then hand them over to the Lebanese army.

    Israel occupied a narrow border land in south Lebanon during the 34-day Israel-Hezbollah conflict, and has so far handed over around 90 percent of the territory they captured to UNIFIL. Enditem