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Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun has called for direct negotiations with Israel to de-escalate the ongoing conflict with Hezbollah. Aoun also sharply criticized Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group, for drawing Lebanon into a wider regional war. According to a spokesperson, Lebanon is prepared to negotiate but only once Israeli attacks cease.
Speaking during a virtual meeting with senior European Union officials on Monday, Aoun outlined what he described as a path towards "permanent security and stability arrangements on our borders".
Israeli officials have shown little sign of backing negotiations.
Under the Lebanese president's four-point plan, a "complete truce" would coincide with the disarmament of Hezbollah, and international assistance for the Lebanese Armed Forces to help them regain control of "areas of tension".
"And simultaneously, Lebanon and Israel begin direct negotiations under international sponsorship, in order to execute the aforementioned plan," a statement said.
Aoun said the war had taken a devastating toll on Lebanon, with more than 700,000 people displaced, including 200,000 children, and hundreds killed in Israeli strikes over the past nine days, according to the United Nations.
"Some of them are on the roads. They have no shelter and not even the most basic necessities of life," he said.
The president also delivered unusually blunt criticism of Hezbollah, accusing the Shia Muslim militia and political movement of acting against Lebanon's national interests.
Referring to Hezbollah as an "armed faction", Aoun said it gave "no weight to Lebanon's interests or to the lives of its people", and wanted the "collapse of the Lebanese state under aggression and chaos".
The remarks follow the government's declaration last week that Hezbollah's military operations were illegal, though the state currently lacks the capacity to disarm the group on its own.
Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Lebanese government directly on X, writing: "It is your responsibility to enforce the ceasefire agreement and it is your responsibility to disarm Hezbollah."
Although a ceasefire was agreed to between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024 under US and French mediation, it has largely failed to hold.
Israel has continued near-daily strikes in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of trying to rearm and rebuild its presence.
Two days after the start of the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, Hezbollah entered the conflict by firing a number of rockets and drones into northern Israel. The group said it was retaliating for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the continuing Israeli strikes.
Hezbollah has said it will continue to attack Israel, whatever the cost.
