Lebanese President Rules Out Normalisation With Israel, Calls For Peace

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has firmly ruled out normalization of relations with Israel, emphasizing that Lebanon's current foreign policy focuses on achieving peace defined as the absence of war rather than full diplomatic normalization. Aoun highlighted the ongoing Israeli occupation of five disputed border points in southern Lebanon as a major obstacle to peace and full deployment of the Lebanese army in the region. He reiterated that only the Lebanese state should bear arms and affirmed the government's commitment to disarm Hezbollah peacefully to maintain national unity and stability. Despite international, particularly US, pressure to disarm Hezbollah following its recent conflicts with Israel, Aoun stressed that any disarmament process must protect Lebanon's sovereignty and civil order. The president's statements followed Israeli interest in establishing ties with Lebanon and Syria, but Lebanon continues to reject normalization until Israeli troops withdraw and cease hostilities. The ceasefire agreement requires Hezbollah to withdraw north of the Litani River, leaving the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers as the sole armed forces near the border, yet tensions and mistrust remain high between the parties.