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Syria rejects Lebanon war
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said his government has “no intention of carrying out any military intervention in Lebanon,” while also telling Al Jazeera that Syria is working toward a security agreement with Israel as a possible gateway to broader peace.
“We have no intention of carrying out any military intervention in Lebanon”
In the same Al Jazeera interview, al-Sharaa said “We are working toward a comprehensive approach to the crisis,” adding that unrest in Lebanon directly affects Syria and could spill over to destabilize the region further.
An-Nahar framed the remarks as raising “confusion and doubts” about the new Syrian regime’s stance toward Lebanon, pointing to al-Sharaa’s concern about Hezbollah’s weapons along the Syria-Lebanon border.
Vietnam.vn similarly reported that al-Sharaa said Damascus is pursuing a security agreement with Israel while stressing that Syria “will not compromise its sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” which it said is occupied by Israel since 1967.
Rome talks and Hezbollah
As US-mediated Israel-Lebanon negotiations began in Rome, Lebanon’s presidential sources told the BBC Arabic that discussions split after Tuesday afternoon into a political meeting on the border issue and a military meeting on the verification mechanism and the third party that would undertake it.
The BBC reported that Lebanon “has not received answers from the Israeli political level regarding the commitment to a ceasefire,” and it quoted Hezbollah secretary-general Naim Qassem saying the talks “will bring Lebanon nothing but shame and humiliation.”
Al Jazeera said the seventh round in Rome aims to establish new “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon from which Israeli forces will begin withdrawing and the Lebanese army will assume control, while noting that Israeli forces continue to strike southern Lebanon despite having agreed to a conditional ceasefire in early June.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that a Lebanese official source said the first day of the seventh round ended with debates split into military and political meetings, with Lebanon examining borders and presenting its proposal while also discussing verification of security arrangements including Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah’s weapons.
Israeli actions threaten pact
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warned that continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon risk derailing a US-backed security agreement, telling Volker Turk in Beirut that strikes, demolitions and attacks on religious sites jeopardise implementation.
“direct violation of human rights and international law”
The Arab Weekly reported Aoun described Israel’s demolition of homes and villages in southern Lebanon as a “direct violation of human rights and international law,” and it said he accused Israel of deliberately targeting religious and cultural heritage sites.
In parallel, Al Jazeera described the June 26 framework deal as linking phased Israeli withdrawal to the disarmament of Hezbollah, while noting that this has not happened yet and that the first Israeli withdrawal under the pilot zone programme took place in July.
The BBC added that the Rome talks are set to focus on expanding the “experimental areas” mechanism, implementing the US-backed framework, and addressing outstanding border issues amid continued Israeli strikes, with Lebanon expected to push for halting bombing and destruction operations in areas under Israeli control.
