Aoun Makes Surprise Visit to Nabatieh

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun made a rare visit to southern Lebanon on Saturday, traveling to the city of Nabatieh accompanied by army commander-in-chief Rodolphe Haykal.

“We stand with you and are looking at how to provide all the services needed so that you can remain here and to ensure your safety,” Joseph Aoun said. “Israel’s withdrawal, the return of prisoners and displaced people, and reconstruction are national imperatives that the state is committed to carrying out,” he pledged.

By way of reminder, last Tuesday, Shiite opponents of Hezbollah, along with local dignitaries and other citizens, launched an “Appeal to Save Nabatieh” and put an end to the destruction caused by the conflict between the pro-Iranian militia and Israel. The appeal’s 400 signatories called on the state to deploy the army in the city and district, stressing its responsibility to do so.

After Nabatieh, Joseph Aoun traveled to one of the pilot areas, Zawtar al-Gharbiya, where he “inspected the army units deployed there (...) and observed Israeli army positions” nearby in Zawtar al-Sharqiya, the presidency reported.

The president’s surprise visit—the first to the south of the country since hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah resumed in early March—came a day after a U.S. diplomatic official announced that a new round of talks between Israel and Lebanon, originally scheduled for next week in Italy, had been postponed until October.

The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States are nevertheless due to meet in Washington next week “to discuss recent developments and the gradual implementation” of the agreement reached between the two countries in June, a State Department official said on condition of anonymity.

A source close to the matter said scheduling issues, including the UN General Assembly in late September, had led to the postponement of this round of negotiations.