Aoun: Wars yield no results and bring only destruction to countries

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban: The situation in the south, marked by ongoing land-clearing operations, house burnings, and continuous incursions, alongside the daily flight of drones over Beirut and the Southern Suburb, remained the focal point of the meeting held at Baabda Palace between President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun and Speaker of the Parliament Nabih Berri, as well as broader local and regional developments.

President Aoun briefed Speaker Berri on the outcomes of his visit to Washington and the talks he held with U.S. officials, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Upon leaving Baabda, Berri stated, “The discussion covered the President’s visit to Washington and the situation in the south, and as usual, I was comfortable with the meeting.”

In this context, President Aoun informed Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamny of the directives issued by President Trump to U.S. airlines to resume operations on the air route between Lebanon and the United States. The discussion also addressed the development of railways and the activation of port activities.

During his reception of a delegation from the Teachers’ Union, President Aoun reiterated that “wars yield no results; they bring only destruction to countries and poverty to peoples. Hence, we have stressed the necessity of adopting diplomacy. Wars end only in one of two scenarios, with no third option: either both sides realize their inability to end the conflict and sit down to negotiate, or one side prevails over the other.”

He added, “The path is not easy and is fraught with many difficulties, but it is not impossible. We must make the necessary efforts, having witnessed where wars and the mistakes committed by some since 2000 have led us.”

For his part, Leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, Dr. Samir Geagea, warned during the annual dinner of “Lebanon Free Radio” that “resistance forces, along with some officials, attempt to confine the political debate to a ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal, as if achieving these two issues alone is sufficient to resolve the Lebanese crisis.” He affirmed that “a ceasefire and withdrawal constitute an indisputable priority,” but stressed that “Lebanon has previously witnessed ceasefire agreements and Israeli withdrawals without its crises being resolved, because the root cause remained unaddressed.”