Lebanon's President calls for negotiations with Israel
Shafaq News – Beirut
On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for negotiations with Israel to resolve long-standing disputes, saying Lebanon cannot remain outside the region’s “drive for settlements.”
Speaking to journalists, Aoun claimed that the regional atmosphere now favors dialogue. “Israel continues to send military and bloody messages to pressure Lebanon,” he said. “These must stop before negotiations can begin.”
He suggested that any future talks should follow the framework of the 2022 maritime border negotiations, held under US and UN mediation, without implying normalization. “If we agreed on the sea, we can do the same to resolve other issues," he explained.
Lebanon still officially classifies Israel as an “enemy state.”
Aoun’s remarks came after US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan entered its first phase, which includes a prisoner exchange and an end to Israel's war that began on October 7, 2023, and killed more than 67,800 Palestinians.
Read more: Gaza Ceasefire - Phase 1: What we know so far
Despite the November 27, 2024, truce, Israeli strikes have continued across southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, targeting alleged "Hezbollah sites." To halt its attacks and withdraw from the areas it occupies in southern Lebanon, Israel has demanded that Hezbollah be completely disarmed—a move the group rejects as serving "the entity's interests."
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded at least 103 civilian deaths since the truce began, mostly in residential areas or near UN peacekeeping sites. However, Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports the toll has climbed to more than 280 killed and 625 injured.
Read more: Why Iraq’s PMF disarmament is a different battle from Lebanon’s Hezbollah
