World
Lebanon’s Aoun urges Israel to pursue talks, not war; says he won’t meet Netanyahu until deal signed
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun makde a rare public appeal to the Israeli government and people in an interview with CNN, saying a military solution “will never provide you with security and safety” for the people in northern Israel.
“We are ready, we are willing, we are committed. Are you? If you are, let’s sit and talk,” said Aoun.
The Lebanese government is in direct talks with Israel, mediated by Washington, to reach a full cessation of hostilities, despite opposition by the Hezbollah terror group.
“We are fed up and we want to live in peace,” Aoun said, adding that the Lebanese people “deserve to live in peace and in dignity, they deserve not seeing their homes being destroyed every five to 10 years.”
Regarding Israel’s military operations, the Lebanese president said: “They can invade the whole country, they can flatten the whole country, but they will never be able to achieve their objective.”
He ruled out meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before reaching an agreement to end the war, which he said would be a non-aggression pact and not a full peace deal.
“We need to end the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel. Forever. And this (pact) could be a path forward for a just and lasting peace.”
Aoun said Lebanon would move in line with the Saudi-sponsored 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, which offers Israel normalized ties with the entire Arab world once it reaches a two-state solution to its conflict with the Palestinians.
“But we cannot jump from A to B directly. We have to go through different steps,” Aoun said.
Lebanese dying for Iran’s interests, Aoun says
The war erupted on March 2 when Hezbollah fired on Israel to avenge the February 28 US-Israeli killing of Iran’s supreme leader, with Israel responding with an extensive campaign of airstrikes and a ground invasion.
The US declared a ceasefire on April 16 but fighting has continued, and Lebanon says Israel has carried out nearly 3,500 strikes since the truce was announced, while Hezbollah has continued to attack northern Israeli communities and military posts as well as troops in southern Lebanon.
Israel struck Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday in retaliation for Hezbollah fire on northern Israel, triggering a 24-hour direct exchange of fire between Iran and Israel before each announced they were halting attacks after US President Donald Trump declared both sides “must immediately stop ‘shooting’” amid his efforts to reach a deal with Tehran.
Fighting however continued Monday and into early Tuesday, with Lebanon’s health ministry reporting seven killed in Israeli strikes — including five in in Tyre, where the IDF issued an evacuation warning — since Iran’s threat to attack Israel again if it continued striking Hezbollah.
Iran-backed Hezbollah meanwhile said it had targeted Israeli troops inside Lebanon, but did not claim any attacks on Israeli territory.
Aoun told CNN that Lebanon sought a good relationship with Iran based on mutual respect and non-interference, and said Lebanon’s people were being killed to serve Iran’s interests.
In an earlier clip from the interview aired on Friday, Aoun accused Iran of using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its talks with the United States, in some of his toughest criticism yet of Tehran.
