Lebanese President: We Seek Security Agreement with Israel to End Hostility
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reaffirms his country's pursuit of a security agreement with Israel to end the state of hostility, while emphasizing restricting weapons and supporting the Lebanese Army
Translated by Qiyas from السياسة — Original source
- Aoun: The state is determined to monopolize weapons... but without internal confrontation
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed on Wednesday that his country seeks to reach a security agreement with Israel to end the state of hostility between the two nations, stressing that direct negotiations represent the available option to avoid a new war.
In an interview with the French news agency AFP, Aoun said that a security agreement could pave the way for a subsequent peace deal, clarifying that Lebanon cannot move directly to a peace agreement but must proceed “step by step.”
He added that the key step involves Israeli withdrawal, the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border, and the return of residents and prisoners.
Regarding the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Aoun confirmed his country’s openness to any force that could replace it, stressing the need to avoid a vacuum after its withdrawal and ensuring that any new force operates within a legal framework that preserves Lebanese state sovereignty.
He clarified that the mission of any force in southern Lebanon should be to assist the Lebanese army and strengthen state capacities, not to replace it, emphasizing that the deployment of any new force would be a temporary measure until the Lebanese army can fully deploy and assert its sovereignty.
Aoun also stressed the Lebanese state’s resolve to implement the decision to monopolize weapons, affirming that the goal is to extend state authority and responsibly monopolize weapons, without sliding into internal confrontation or civil war.
He underscored the necessity for Arab, European, and U.S. countries to support the Lebanese army, enabling it to fulfill its responsibilities and enhance its deployment in the south of the country, emphasizing that supporting the army constitutes assistance to the Lebanese state and strengthens it.
