Lebanon’s President Aoun says country ready for agreement to end Israeli strikes
Aoun added that talks would also involve the IDF withdrawing from the five outposts in Lebanese territory, where the military said in they would each be manned by a company of troops.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that Lebanon is ready to negotiate with Israel to end strikes on his country from the Jewish state, The Associated Press reported.
The US outlet also said that Aoun, who announced in a televised speech that Lebanon was ready for negotiations, added that talks would also involve the IDF withdrawing from the five outposts in Lebanese territory, where the military said in February of this year they would each be manned by a company of troops for an indefinite period.
The Lebanese leader added that the country’s soldiers would be prepared to be dispatched to the areas the IDF withdraws from, including the five aforementioned outposts from which the IDF would pull out in the supposed negotiations.
IDF struck Hamas in Lebanon earlier this week
Hours before his speech, the IDF announced that its strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday killed 13 Hamas terrorists who were operating in a training compound in the area. Among the Hamas terrorists was Jawad Sidawi, who the IDF stated was involved in training terrorists to carry out terror attacks from Israel’s northern neighbor against the Jewish state. The Israeli military said that Lebanon has yet to successfully disarm Palestinian factions in the country, despite their pledge to do so.
The AP report noted that it hasn’t been made clear whether Israel would agree to engage in negotiations, nor did the Lebanese president mention whether the US or international community would be sponsoring talks.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman during his visit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 3, 2025. (credit: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Aoun’s speech also comes a day after the country’s prime minister, Nawaf Salam, said Lebanon is open to engaging with Israel in a partnership for disempowering Hezbollah, according to a report by Bloomberg.
Salam was cited in the report as saying that Lebanon would be willing to seek American support for negotiations.
Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.
