In a jab at Hezbollah, which accused the government of treason and surrender”, Aoun rejected criticism of the talks saying that those who drew Lebanon into the conflict were the ones committing “treason”.
Beirut- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pushed back against Hezbollah’s opposition to direct negotiations with Israel, accusing the group without naming it of treason for dragging Lebanon into war and insisting the talks are meant to end the state of war.
Aoun said in a speech on April 27 that his goal of the negotiations is “to end the state of war with Israel, similar to the 1949 armistice agreements,” according to AFP.
“Those who dragged Lebanon into war are now trying to hold us accountable because we decided to negotiate,” he said. “What we are doing is not treason. Treason is committed by those who turn their own country into a battleground to serve foreign interests.”
The 1949 Armistice Agreements, signed between Israel and neighboring Arab states (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria), formally ended the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. They established the “Green Line,” a temporary demarcation separating Israeli-controlled territory from the Jordanian-annexed West Bank, Egyptian-occupied Gaza Strip, and bordering Arab states, serving as the de facto border until 1967.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem accused Lebanese President Joseph Aoun of treasonous behavior by entering direct, US-mediated negotiations with Israel in April 2026. Qassem termed the talks a “humiliating concession” and “grave sin,” arguing the government is neglecting national rights.
Qassem also said Hezbollah would not retreat even if Israeli threats intensify. “We will not surrender and we will not be disarmed,” he said.
No Going back
A Lebanese official source told AFP on Tuesday that Aoun “is proceeding with the option of negotiations… there is no going back”.
The president on April 17, the day a truce in the war went into force, said all Lebanese were “on the same boat” and that no one should commit the “crime” of sinking it.
The president on Monday stated that direct negotiations aimed at stopping the war, securing an Israeli withdrawal from the south, demarcating the border and reaching an end to the “state of hostility” with Israel.
The dispute over whether to negotiate with Israel is now surfacing openly between the Lebanese government and Hezbollah.
While presenting itself as a “resistance movement” against Israeli with the aim of Liberating Palestine, analysts argue that Hezbollah’s military actions always align with Iran’s strategic goal of expanding regional influence. Neither Iran nor Hezbollah ever liberated one square inch of Palestine. Worst of all every time Hezbollah went into war against Israel, Lebanon ended up losing territories to Israel. As a result of Hezbollah’s attacks on March 2 Israel now occupies the entire southern border area with Lebanon at a depth of of 15 kilometers or more
Lebanon was drawn into the war on March 2 after Hezbollah and the Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired rockets at Israel in support of Iran. Israel and Lebanon later agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, which took effect at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on April 16. US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire by three weeks, but Hezbollah declared the truce as meaningless .
Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of violating the truce as fighting continues in southern Lebanon
“Lebanon, particularly Beirut, was a prime Mediterranean destination during its “Golden Age” in the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s, before the civil war. Known as the “Paris of the Middle East” or the “Riviera of the Middle East,” it thrived as a hub for business , tourism, finance, and culture. Once free of Hezbollah, It would be amazing to see it go back to that”, one observer was quoted as saying
News Agencies
