Lebanon's president says negotiations with Israel needed as war led to no positive results

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BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s president said Monday that his country and Israel should negotiate to solve pending problems between them since war didn't lead to any positive results.

The comments by President Joseph Aoun came after U.S. counterpart Donald Trump brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the more than two-year war, which started when the Palestinian militant group led an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

A day after the Israel-Hamas war began, Lebanon’s Hezbollah started attacking Israeli military posts along the border in what it called a “backup front” for Gaza. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict intensified into full-blown fighting nearly a year later, during which the Lebanese group suffered heavy losses and many of its political and military commanders were killed.

Since the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes on Lebanon that left scores of people dead, many of them civilians.

“Lebanon negotiated in the past with Israel with mediation by the United States and the United Nations,” Aoun said, adding that these talks led to the 2022 agreement between the two countries over their maritime border.

“What prevents repeating the same thing to find solutions to pending matters especially that war did not lead to results?” Aoun asked. He said that the atmosphere in the Middle East is that of deals and agreements, and that how the negotiations will take place can be decided at the time.

“Conditions are moving toward negotiations to achieve peace and stability,” Aoun said. "Therefore we say that through dialogue and negotiations solutions can be reached.”

“We cannot be outside the ongoing track in the region,” Aoun said in comments while meeting a group of Lebanese business journalists.

Speaking at Israel’s parliament on Monday, Trump told Israeli lawmakers that their country had no more to achieve on the battlefield and must work toward peace in the Middle East after more than two years of war against Hamas and skirmishes with Hezbollah and Iran.

In August, the Lebanese government made a decision to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year, but officials later said that resources were too limited to meet the deadline. The current aim is to fully clear a stretch along the Lebanon-Israel border, defined as south of the Litani River, by the end of November before moving into further phases.

Hezbollah has rejected the plan, saying it won’t discuss disarmament as long as Israel continues to occupy several hills along the border and carries out almost daily strikes.

Trump praised Aoun in his speech in Jerusalem, saying his administration is helping the Lebanese leader “to permanently disarm Hezbollah’s terror brigades. He’s doing very well.”

“The dagger of Hezbollah, long aimed at Israel’s throat, has been totally shattered,” Trump said.