Lebanese President Aoun announced that progress had been made in direct talks with Israel. Aoun said this development was better for Lebanon than the consequences of a devastating war and highlighted the progress in the negotiations.
Aoun assessed the framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel on June 26 after the fifth round of direct talks held in Washington. Saying that the scale of attacks on Lebanon had decreased following the agreement, Aoun said this had positively affected the return of Lebanese people to spend the summer in their country.
Lebanon’s objectives
Aoun said the Lebanese had reached agreement on the goals of withdrawing Israeli soldiers from Lebanese territory, returning the detainees and rebuilding the destroyed areas. He said they would not allow any Israeli soldier to remain on Lebanese territory.
Opposing the claim that “what is taken by force can only be reclaimed by force,” Aoun said the realities on the ground showed that this approach was wrong.
Aoun stressed that the time had come for people in southern Lebanon to live in stability on their own land and said wars waged for goals unrelated to the Lebanese people must end.
Attacks and ceasefire
The Israeli army launched intense airstrikes on Lebanon on March 2 and established control in many towns in the south of the country. The Lebanese government said the number of people displaced during this period had exceeded 1 million.
The ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, which took effect on April 17, was extended several times. Lebanon’s Health Ministry said 4,335 people had been killed in attacks since March 2.
Despite the framework agreement, attacks continued, while the seventh round of direct talks mediated by the United States was held in Rome, the capital of Italy, from August 4 to 6.
