Lebanese president urges US to push Israel to leave southern Lebanon
Lebanese president urges US to push Israel to leave southern Lebanon
M.U.H
07/09/202531
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Washington to push Israel to end its occupation in southern Lebanon, saying the move would pave the way for the Lebanese army to take full control of the area.
The appeal came on Saturday during Aoun’s meeting in Beirut with Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), according to Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA).
Aoun urged the US to push Israel to implement the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, end its military operations against Lebanon, withdraw from five occupied outposts in the south, and release Lebanese abductees.
“Continued Israeli attacks in the south hinder the deployment of the Lebanese army to the border,” Aoun said.
He noted that Lebanese forces have already been stationed across more than 85 percent of the territory south of the Litani River.
“The army continues to prevent any armed presence in the area and confiscate weapons and ammunition,” he added.
Two Israeli wars waged against Lebanon in 2000 and 2006 were met with strong resistance from Hezbollah, the Lebanese resistance movement, resulting in the retreat of the regime in both conflicts.
In 2006, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1701, which ended the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
The resolution called for a permanent ceasefire and the establishment of a buffer zone in southern Lebanon.
Last week, the Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) until the end of 2026, marking the mission’s final extension after nearly five decades of operations in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging fire since October 8, 2023, only one day after the Zionist entity launched a genocidal war against the Gaza Strip following a surprise operation by Hamas.
The Lebanese resistance movement vowed to keep up its retaliatory attacks as long as the Israeli regime continued its Gaza war.
The Israeli regime escalated the conflict into a full-scale war by September 2024, killing more than 4,000 Lebanese and injuring around 17,000, most of them women and children.
The Israeli regime also martyred Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah, in its aggression against Lebanon.
Although a ceasefire was reached in November 2024, Israel has been carrying out near-daily strikes in southern Lebanon, falsely claiming to target Hezbollah activities, violating the agreement.
Under the agreement, Israel was expected to withdraw completely by January 26.
The deadline was extended to February 18 after the regime refused to comply. Israeli forces continue to occupy five outposts along the border.
Hezbollah lawmaker rejects disarmament efforts
Hezbollah Member of Parliament Hasan Ezzeddine of the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc criticized government discussions on disarming the resistance fighters, an initiative pushed by the United States.
Speaking at an educational ceremony in the southern town of Aiteet on Saturday, Ezzeddine praised the withdrawal of five Shia ministers from a cabinet session that focused on Hezbollah’s weapons.
He said the Taid Constitution and successive ministerial statements affirm the legitimacy of Hezbollah’s arms, and stressed that disarmament provisions apply only to former civil war militias.
Ezzeddine added that attempts to strip the resistance of its weapons would fail as long as Israel maintains military positions in southern Lebanon.
He warned against the Lebanese government's decision to disarm Hezbollah while Israel “plans to expand its occupation in the region.”
