Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday said Israel’s withdrawal from Southern Lebanon is a “nonnegotiable” demand, as Beirut prepares for a new round of U.S.-brokered talks with Jerusalem, according to the London-based, pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.
Marking the anniversary of Israel’s 2000 withdrawal, Aoun said that “this year, the anniversary of the liberation comes as Lebanon is weighed down by a painful reality.”
“Israeli attacks have not stopped, and our dear southern villages are still suffering under a renewed occupation,” he said, without mentioning the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group’s rocket and drone attacks across the border that prompted Israel’s renewed military operations in Lebanese territory.
Israeli forces, which entered Lebanon during the latest war with Hezbollah that began on March 2, are operating within a forward line of about 10 kilometers (6 miles) inside Lebanese territory. The Israeli military has also carried out strikes beyond that security zone against Hezbollah threats. A ceasefire has been in place since April 17 and was recently extended for several weeks, but fighting has continued.
“Lebanon will not accept this reality,” Aoun said, adding that securing a full Israeli withdrawal remains a “constant national demand” to be pursued through negotiations.
Lebanon and Israel launched rare U.S.-mediated talks last month and are expected to hold a fourth round in early June, following a May 29 meeting between military delegations at the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Sunday repeated the terrorist group’s opposition to direct talks between Beirut and Jerusalem and reiterated its refusal to disarm.
Qassem also called on the Lebanese government to resign and said “the people have the right to go down onto the streets and to bring down the government” in response to Israeli strikes and U.S. sanctions on the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial institution, which provides banking services to Hezbollah.
