Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun (R) greets Slovenia’s UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar before a meeting with a United Nations Security Council delegation at the Presidential Palace of Baabda, east of Beirut, December 5 [Handout/Lebanese Presidency/AFP]
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told a UN Security Council delegation on Friday that his country does not want war with Israel and asked for support from the international community in disarming non-government groups. Israel has continued strikes in southern Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire, saying it has been targeting Hezbollah.
Beirut- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday told a United Nations Security Council delegation his country does not want war with Israel, days after civilian representatives from both sides held their first talks in decades.
Despite a November 2024 ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group, Israel has kept up strikes on Lebanon and has also maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic.
During his meeting with UN Security Council ambassadors, Aoun said the Lebanese “do not want war again, the Lebanese people have suffered enough and there will be no going back”, according to a statement from the presidency.
Aoun called on the envoys to support the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm non-government groups. The army expects to complete the first phase of its government-approved plan by the end of the year.
“The Lebanese army will play its full role … The international community must support and assist it.”
Aoun called there was “no going back” on the decision, “even if it requires some time, because the Lebanese are tired of military confrontations”.
Following “a new round of negotiations” that began on Wednesday, Aoun stressed “the need to pressure the Israeli side to implement the ceasefire and withdraw, and expressed his hope for pressure from the delegation”.
Aoun said that any outcome from these talks “depends primarily on Israel’s position, upon which the negotiations will either reach practical results or fail”.
The committee tasked with overseeing the ceasefire will hold new sessions with the participation of Lebanese and Israeli civilian delegates starting December 19.
The UN delegation visited Damascus on Thursday and met with Lebanese officials on Friday. It is due to inspect the border area in southern Lebanon the following day, accompanied by US envoy Morgan Ortagus.
After meeting with the delegation, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close ally of militant group Hezbollah, stressed that “negotiating under fire is unacceptable”.
“Stability in the south requires Israel’s adherence to UN Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire agreement by halting its daily violations and withdrawing behind the international border,” he added, referring to a UN resolution that ended the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.
On Thursday, Israel struck four southern Lebanese towns, saying it was targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, including weapons depots, to stop the group from rearming.
UN peacekeepers called the strikes “clear violations of Security Council resolution 1701”.
The peacekeepers also said their vehicles were fired on by six men on three mopeds near Bint Jbeil on Thursday. There were no injuries in the incident.
Hezbollah refuses to disarm but has not responded to Israeli attacks since the ceasefire. It has, however, promised a response to the killing of its military chief in a strike on Beirut‘s southern suburbs last month.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP)