BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun said Friday that any negotiations with Israel to halt its ongoing strikes on southern Lebanon — which have continued despite a nearly year-old U.S.-brokered ceasefire — must be mutual.
Aoun made the remarks following talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who was on a four-day Middle East tour and visited Beirut on his first official trip since taking office.
The visit came as Israel has recently intensified its strikes on southern Lebanon. Both sides have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, which nominally ended the latest Israel-Hezbollah war last November. The conflict started after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel in support of Hamas and the Palestinians, prompting Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling in return. The low-level exchanges escalated into full-scale war in September 2024.
Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued to carry out near-daily strikes across southern Lebanon, saying they target Hezbollah militants, weapons depots and command centers. Israeli forces have also maintained positions on several strategic points inside Lebanese territory.
Lebanese officials have accused Israel of striking civilian areas and destroying infrastructure unrelated to Hezbollah, calling on Israeli forces to withdraw and respect Lebanon’s sovereignty.
On Friday, at least two people were killed in Israeli strikes on several locations across southern Lebanon, according to the state-run National News Agency. An Israeli army spokesperson confirmed its forces killed a man, accusing him of attempting to rebuild Hezbollah’s infrastructure.
In a rare ground operation on Thursday, Israeli soldiers raided a municipal building in the border village of Blida, killing Ibrahim Salameh, a municipal employee. The raid sparked condemnation from Lebanese officials and protests by residents. Israel said its troops entered the building to “destroy terrorist infrastructure” linked to Hezbollah and fired to “neutralize a threat,” while Aoun said Salameh was killed “while performing his professional duties.”
“Lebanon is ready for negotiations to end the Israeli occupation,” Aoun told Wadephul, “but any talks cannot be one-sided — they require mutual will, which is still lacking. The format, timing and location of negotiations will be determined later.”
He added that the Lebanese army’s presence in the south will increase to 10,000 troops before the end of the year, noting continued coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The ceasefire stipulates that both Israel and Hezbollah are required to cease hostilities, with the Lebanese army and UNIFIL deploying south of the Litani River to ensure no armed groups other than the army operate in the area.
The army has since deployed in dozens of positions across southern Lebanon and is working alongside U.N. peacekeepers to monitor ceasefire violations.
Following Thursday’s Israeli ground raid, Aoun said he had requested the Lebanese army to “confront any Israeli incursion” into southern Lebanon “in defense of Lebanese lands and the safety of citizens,” although it was not clear what form that confrontation would take.
“The President’s stance in ordering the army to confront Israeli incursions is a responsible position upon which we build,” Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Kassem said in a recorded address on Friday.
“The positions of the three presidents and some officials are consequential, and our stance is unified,” he added.
After meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji, Wadephul said the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanese territory were “unacceptable,” stressing the need for Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and for both Israel and Hezbollah to adhere to the cessation of hostilities arrangements.
By SALLY ABOU ALJOUD
Associated Press
