BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday told a United Nations Security Council delegation that his country does not seek war with Israel, days after civilian representatives from both countries held their first direct talks in decades.
Although a ceasefire was agreed upon in November 2024 to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has continued strikes on Lebanese territory and maintains troops in five southern areas it considers strategic.
In a statement from the presidency, Aoun emphasised the need to pressure Israel to fully implement the ceasefire and withdraw its forces, while also expressing hope that the UN delegation would support these efforts. He highlighted Lebanon’s commitment to enforcing international resolutions and called on the envoys to assist the Lebanese army in disarming non-state armed groups.
The Lebanese government ordered its military to fully disarm Hezbollah in August, with the army planning to complete the first phase of this operation by the end of the year.
The UN delegation, which visited Damascus on Thursday, was scheduled to inspect the southern Lebanon border area on Saturday, accompanied by US envoy Morgan Ortagus.
The visit coincides with the first direct talks in decades between Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives.
On Thursday, Information Minister Paul Morcos quoted Aoun calling the initial negotiations “positive” and stressing “the need for the language of negotiation — not the language of war — to prevail.”
On the same day, Israel carried out strikes on four southern Lebanese towns, claiming the attacks targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, including weapons depots, to prevent the group from rearming.
UN peacekeepers condemned the strikes, describing them as “clear violations of Security Council Resolution 1701,” which ended the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
The peacekeepers also reported that six men on three mopeds fired at their vehicles near Bint Jbeil on Thursday, though no injuries were reported.
“Attacks on peacekeepers are unacceptable and serious violations of resolution 1701,” the international force added.
