Lebanon seeks direct talks with Israel to end Hezbollah fighting
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Smoke billowing after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, in Lebanon, on March 9.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIRUT – Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for internationally mediated direct negotiations with Israel and a truce that would halt Israeli attacks on his country and extricate it from yet another Middle East conflict.
Israel has been carrying out deadly strikes across Lebanon for a week, including in the capital Beirut, after the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah attacked the Jewish state, it said, to avenge the killing of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
The Israeli military operation has so far killed at least 486 people and injured more than 1,300, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported, citing the nation’s Health Ministry.
The latest Israeli military campaign has also displaced 600,000 people, Mr Aoun said in a virtual meeting with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa.
Mr Aoun suggested providing support for the Lebanese army, which in turn would take control of conflict-affected areas and seize weapons, including Hezbollah’s arsenal.
“The government of Lebanon took on March 2 a clear, irreversible decision banning any military or security activity of Hezbollah
“We want to execute it clearly and decisively.”
Lebanon has for months been seeking to disarm Hezbollah, which adamantly refuses to give up its firepower. The army’s limited capabilities cast doubt on the plan’s feasibility.
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem has vowed a relentless struggle as his forces fire rockets and drones at Israeli targets in northern Israel and Lebanon daily.
The Lebanese militant group, however, has lost a great deal of its military might since its 2024 war with Israel, which at the time eliminated much of its leadership and resources before a ceasefire was implemented.
A new government led by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was later formed, aiming for reforms to overcome Lebanon’s lingering financial crisis. The demilitarisation of Hezbollah and control over the entirety of Lebanese territories are seen as crucial steps towards recovery.
Mr Aoun said Hezbollah’s initiation of attacks on Israel on March 2 was meant to drag Lebanon back to war to serve the interests of Iran, which has been under assault by the US and Israel since Feb 28. BLOOMBERG
