Lebanon to take part in US-backed trilateral talks with Israel on Oct. 20, president says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Saturday that his country will hold US-backed trilateral meetings with Israel in Tampa, US state of Florida, on Oct. 20. In a statement released by the presidency on US social media platform X, Aoun said a military delegation will attend the meeting to present Beirut’s demands for an end to Israeli escalation, and aiming to secure "outcomes consistent with the framework agreement." Aoun's remarks came as he received a French delegation headed by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot. Lebanon seeks to extend UNIFIL’s mandate and welcomes any arrangement that ensures a continued international presence in the country’s south to prevent power vacuum, he said. Barrot expressed French solidarity with Lebanon and its continued support across all sectors, the statement said, adding that he also reaffirmed readiness to mobilize resources to address urgent humanitarian needs in the Arab country. Israel began its deadly attacks in southern Lebanon in early March, and has continued the bombing unabated despite a US-sponsored framework agreement in June paving the way for Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of Hezbollah.