The Lebanese president calls for direct negotiations with Israel and sharply attacks Hezbollah. The war between Israel and Iran brought the country to the brink of collapse.
On Monday, Lebanese President Joseph Awn called for direct negotiations with Israel to end the fighting he has been waging on the territory of Lebanon against the Hezbollah militant movement since last week. He accused the Shiite movement of trying to bring the state to collapse on behalf of Iran. TASR informs about it based on the AFP report.
- President Awn calls for direct peace negotiations with Israel.
- Hezbollah is accused of acting in favor of Iran.
- Both Israel and Hezbollah exchange attacks on the border.
- The conflict deepens political tensions in Lebanon.
- Lebanon seeks to gain control of Hezbollah’s weapons.
Lebanon was drawn into a regional war when Hezbollah became involved in the war conflict between Israel, the US and Iran. The movement in retaliation for Israeli-American attacks and the killing of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei began on the night of Monday, March 2, with rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel.
The Israeli army responded with airstrikes in the south of Lebanon, in the Bikaa valley and the southern suburbs of Beirut. It destroys warehouses and bases of Hezbollah, which has long supported Iran financially, with weapons and training. Israeli forces have also advanced deeper into Lebanese territory.
They do not bring value to the state
“Whoever fired these missiles (at Israel) wanted to cause the collapse of the Lebanese state and plunge it into aggression and chaos. All because of the Iranian regime’s intentions,” Awn told top European Union officials in an online meeting. The Lebanese president described Hezbollah as “an armed group outside the structures of the state that does not value the interests of Lebanon or the lives of its people.” He called for “direct negotiations under international auspices” with Israel to stop the fighting.
Hizballah’s entry into the conflict deepened the long-standing divisions in the Lebanese political scene and society. Hezbollah was created after 1982 as a movement of armed resistance against the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. It also remained the only political faction in the country whose militias retained their weapons after the civil war ended in 1990.
Israel considers Hezbollah a threat to its security and has had several conflicts with it. The last time he succeeded in significantly weakening the group was in 2024, and since then the Lebanese state has been trying to assert a monopoly on weapons and disarming Hezbollah.
