Beirut Defies Tehran and Accelerates Its Sovereignty Drive
The declaration, described as 'historic,' resulting from Washington negotiations on Thursday, was followed on Friday by unprecedented and decisive statements from Lebanon's top leadership. Declarations that appear to accelerate momentum toward the full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty in the face of Iran and its armed wing, Hezbollah.
On Friday, President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam issued stern warnings to Tehran, urging it to cease all interference in Lebanese affairs.
'This is not your country, it is ours (...) You have no right to intervene in our country,' President Aoun told Iran during an interview with CNN.
The head of state also called on Hezbollah to prioritize dialogue. 'Hezbollah must understand that there is no solution other than to sit at the negotiating table. There is no other way to save what remains of the country except through negotiation and diplomacy,' he said.
'This is about the Lebanese people, not Naïm Qassem's people,' affirming that Naïm Qassem does not represent the Lebanese people, referring to Hezbollah's secretary general, who had rejected Thursday's Washington agreement. 'The majority of the Lebanese people are sick of war.'
Addressing Israeli military operations, Joseph Aoun stated that Israel 'can destroy the entire country, but will never achieve its objective,' before adding: 'They tried in Gaza. Hamas still exists, doesn't it?'
The Lebanese president also stated that 'a great opportunity' exists today to end the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel, while emphasizing that the Hezbollah issue could only be resolved within a strictly Lebanese framework.
Addressing Israeli authorities, he declared: 'You must show real willingness to end this war. We are ready, we have the will and commitment. And you?'
For his part, Nawaf Salam urged Iran to stop using Lebanon as a 'bargaining chip' in its discussions with the United States aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.
Tehran indeed demands that any agreement with Washington also include an end to hostilities on the Lebanese front and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who plays an intermediary role with Hezbollah, for his part, mentioned for the first time the possibility of the Shiite movement withdrawing from southern Lebanon, provided that Israel withdraws from Lebanese territory and a 'comprehensive and unconditional' ceasefire is reached.
Echoing these statements, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a security cabinet meeting that he favored a diplomatic approach regarding Lebanon, while several ministers argued for an expansion of military operations, according to Israeli media.
Netanyahu, however, indicated that the ceasefire agreement was not yet definitively finalized. Israel is conditioning its approval on maintaining a buffer zone in southern Lebanon and preserving its freedom of military action.
These developments come as the new truce announced by Washington between Israel and Hezbollah already appears compromised.
Recall in this regard that the joint U.S.-Lebanese-Israeli declaration concluding the fourth round of negotiations in Washington emphasizes that 'the future of relations between Israel and Lebanon must be decided by the two sovereign governments.'
The three signatories also affirm their rejection of 'any attempt by a state or non-state actor to hold Lebanon hostage,' in a barely veiled allusion to Iran and Hezbollah.
On the ground, the Israeli army continued its strikes in southern Lebanon after ordering the evacuation of about a dozen towns, maintaining military pressure on Hezbollah, which had rejected the agreement the day before.
The Israeli army also carried out a strike at the entrance to Tyre. According to a civil defense source cited by AFP, bombardments on the city during the night of Thursday to Friday killed seven people and slightly damaged Jabal Amel Hospital.
For its part, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks against Israeli forces deployed in part of southern Lebanon, without announcing any operations against northern Israel.
Faced with the scale of destruction caused by the conflict, the UN more than doubled its appeal for humanitarian aid and is now seeking nearly $640 million for the next six months.