Lebanese president confirms talks with Israel, vows complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun confirmed Tuesday that American-backed talks with Israel are continuing as Beirut seeks to end hostilities between the two neighboring countries, while insisting that the negotiations serve Lebanon’s national interests.

Aoun’s comments come as Lebanon faces pressure to secure an Israeli military withdrawal while also addressing Hezbollah’s continued military activity from Lebanese territory and the country’s broader reconstruction and financial challenges.

“There is no disagreement among the Lebanese on the goals, from the Israeli withdrawal and the return of the prisoners to the reconstruction of what has been destroyed,” Aoun wrote in a post on 𝕏.

“In the end, we will not allow Israel to remain on even a single inch of our land, nor will we allow a single Israeli soldier to remain on our soil,” the president continued.

The current round of hostilities began when the Iranian-backed terrorist militia Hezbollah attacked Israel in early March amid U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Iranian regime. Israel responded with extensive strikes on Hezbollah targets and a large ground operation designed to push Hezbollah terrorists farther north and prevent attacks on Israeli border communities.

Israeli officials have emphasized that the Israeli military presence in Lebanon is purely defensive and that Jerusalem has no territorial demands in Lebanon.

In June, Lebanon and Israel signed an American-backed agreement that links an Israeli military withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah. Last month, the Lebanese army deployed troops to the first pilot zone vacated by Israeli forces under the trilateral agreement signed in Washington.

The Lebanese government outlawed Hezbollah’s military activities in March but has so far been unable or unwilling to prevent the terror militia from attacking Israel from Lebanese territory. It also has accused Hezbollah of undermining Lebanon’s national interests by dragging the country into a war that Beirut does not seek.

Aoun has argued that Lebanon’s sovereignty can only be secured through diplomacy rather than military force, saying that diplomatic talks with Israel are preferable to continued hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

“We always hear slogans saying that what is taken by force will only be recovered by force, but the facts on the ground have proven the falsehood of this saying,” he said, likely referring to Hezbollah, which has vowed to continue its armed “resistance” against the Jewish state.

“It is time for the son of the South to rest and settle on his land, rather than allowing wars to continue to be waged in his name for non-Lebanese objectives,” Aoun continued in a barely veiled reference to the Islamic Republic of Iran, which ordered Hezbollah to strike Israel despite the opposition from the Lebanese government.

Addressing a Maronite Foundation in the World delegation, the Christian president also vowed his continued support to “rebuild the state,” whatever the cost.

Lebanon is facing an extensive reconstruction challenge while the country continues to grapple with a severe financial crisis.

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Saudi news outlet Al-Arabiya English that the next round of talks between Israel and Lebanon would likely be held in early September.