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Aoun defends talks
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he “will not back down” from pursuing negotiations with Israel, speaking during a meeting at the Presidential Palace in Baabda in eastern Beirut with a delegation from the Lebanese Forces' parliamentary bloc led by party chief Samir Geagea.
Aoun said the proposed framework agreement would restore Lebanon's rights “through diplomatic means” if Israel complies with its provisions and that criticism of direct negotiations “does not deserve a response,” noting Lebanon entered direct talks with Israel more than once since 1949.
The negotiation track has drawn criticism from Hezbollah and other Lebanese political forces, with Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem saying the agreement was “entirely in Israel's interest” and urging Aoun to adopt indirect negotiations.
Lebanon and Israel signed a US-sponsored framework agreement on June 26, providing for a phased Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, beginning with two unspecified pilot zones, while Israeli attacks in Lebanon since March 2 have killed more than 4,300 people and injured over 12,000, according to official figures.
Critics, protests, and replies
Middle East Eye reported that the framework agreement mediated by the US has led to anger in Lebanon, with people taking to the streets to protest their government over the demand for Hezbollah to disarm in exchange for Israel withdrawing their troops occupying Lebanon.
In the same reporting, Aoun defended the decision to negotiate while the attacks continued, saying critics “do not deserve a response” as he addressed a Christian political bloc.
Anadolu Ajansı said Aoun told the delegation that he “assure[s] you that I will not back down from the decision to negotiate that I have taken,” and he insisted that all his positions include explanations to the Lebanese people about the importance of the path he is pursuing.
The Lebanese Forces' parliamentary bloc led by Samir Geagea was described by Anadolu Ajansı as meeting Aoun at Baabda, while the Anadolu Ajansı account also tied the negotiation dispute to arguments that the proposed framework agreement primarily serves Israeli interests and that any negotiations should remain indirect.
Pilot zones and next steps
Ynetnews reported that Israel and Lebanon are expected to hold talks in Rome next week on implementing the framework of understandings reached between the sides in Washington, as a U.S. official said the pilot phase is expected to begin within days.
The U.S. official quoted by Ynetnews said, “The first pilot zone will launch in a matter of days,” and added that CENTCOM is coordinating with both countries to move forward.
Ynetnews also said CNN reported that Aoun is linking Lebanon's continued participation in talks with Israel to the start of an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and it placed Aoun on a schedule to travel to Washington on July 21 for a meeting with President Donald Trump.
In parallel, Anadolu Ajansı said Israeli forces continue to occupy areas in southern Lebanon, some held for decades and others seized during the 2023-2024 war, and it reported that during the latest offensive Israeli troops advanced more than 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) into Lebanese territory.
