Lebanon13 September, 20263 min read
Joseph Aoun Says No New Negotiations With Israel During Nabatieh Visit Amid Strikes
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Aoun announces no new negotiations with Israel during Nabatieh visit. Next round of Israel-Lebanon talks postponed as southern Lebanon remains under strikes.
44 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Marco Rubio Urges Joseph Aoun Not To Return Seized Explosives To Hezbollah →
The Times of Israel was read line by line by the Watchdog: 3.7. See the score →
Talks paused amid blasts
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said “there will be no new negotiations with Israel at the moment” during an unannounced visit to Nabatieh in southern Lebanon as Israeli forces continued to strike and demolish buildings across the area. Aoun’s remarks came after an AFP report cited an unnamed US official saying the next round of talks scheduled for this month in Rome would not be happening until October, and that the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors would instead meet at the Department of State next week. The same period of escalation included Israeli detonations of 1,100 tonnes of explosives at what Israel claimed was a Hezbollah central command complex built into the Ali al-Taher Ridge, with tremors felt across surrounding areas.
In the last two weeks, Israeli attacks in the area killed at least 29 people, including 12 members of the same family in an air raid on Kfar Ramman, and on Saturday heavy explosions shook al-Mansouri, heard and felt as far as Tyre. Aoun also framed the political end-state as “Withdrawal, the return of prisoners and displaced people, and reconstruction” as national principles the state pledged to implement.
Aoun’s message to residents
During his Saturday visit to Nabatieh, Aoun emphasized that “Israel’s withdrawal, the return of prisoners and displaced persons, and reconstruction are national constants the Lebanese state is committed to implementing.” Al Jazeera Net reported that some Nabatieh residents urged the army to strengthen its presence in the city to avoid a possible ground attack, and one man told Aoun: “The residents want to feel safe and their children safe after their displacement and humiliation.” Al-Ain Al-Akhbariyah said Aoun conducted the visit to Nabatieh and to Zrour Westa village, where the Lebanese army has recently deployed in line with a framework agreement brokered under American auspices in June.
The same sources tied the visit to a postponement of negotiations, with Al Jazeera Net stating the next round under Washington’s auspices was postponed to October after it was due to take place next week in Rome. Al-Arabi Al-Jadid also reported Aoun’s insistence that there are “no ongoing new negotiations with Israel at the moment,” while noting American officials said the two ambassadors would meet in Washington to discuss current developments and continue implementing the framework agreement reached in June.
Framework agreement and risks
The framework agreement referenced by multiple outlets provides that the Lebanese army would disarm Hezbollah in so-called “pilot zones,” while Hezbollah rejected direct talks with Israel, leaving the negotiations stalled as Israeli escalation continued in southern Lebanon. Al Jazeera reported that on Thursday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz issued a joint statement pledging their forces would remain in southern Lebanon to stop Hezbollah re-establishing its presence there. Al-Sharq Al-Awsat described the visit as a bid to reassure residents that “the Israeli withdrawal, the return of the prisoners, our displaced people, and reconstruction are national constants,” while also stressing that it is “the right of the people of the south to live in safety and build their homes.”
In parallel, Al Jazeera Net said a 4.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded in southern Lebanon after the Ali al-Tahir explosions, and it reiterated that in less than a week Israeli raids killed at least 29 people including 12 members of a single family. Al Jazeera Net also quoted the Lebanese army warning that Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon threatens the implementation of the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel, keeping the next steps tied to whether the agreement can be carried out.