Israel, Lebanon To Hold New Peace Talks as Jerusalem Seeks To Bolster Beirut Leadership

Israel and Lebanon will hold yet another diplomatic meeting next week as Jerusalem is seeking to “strengthen” the axis between the president and prime minister of Lebanon. Speaking at an event at the Council of Foreign Relations in Washington, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S., Yechiel Leiter, said representatives from the two neighbouring countries will meet in Rome on July 14th and 15th to continue its talks aimed at reaching a peace deal. “Lebanon is gonna have to get a hold of itself. Make the choice that it’s coming down to the side of accommodationism — those who have threatened the notion of Israel’s existence and that Lebanon can be used as a conduit to fulfill Iran’s dreams of annihilating Israel cannot succeed,” Mr. Leiter said. The ambassador also vowed that Israel will “do everything” it can to “strengthen the Aoun-Salam axis,” referring to Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. “I think that the other side (Hezbollah) is being weakened dramatically. Look, they called for a demonstration right after the agreement was signed (between Lebanon and Israel). Less than a hundred people showed up. That’s a new development,” he added. Lebanon and Israel signed a 14-point framework agreement last month to formally end their war and recognize each other’s right to live in peace and security. The deal also called for the Lebanese army to restore control with the country, disarm Hezbollah and for the Israeli military to withdraw its troops from Lebanon once the terror group no longer poses a threat to Israel. The agreement has been met with mixed reactions inside Lebanon, with Hezbollah harshly criticising it and vowing not to lay down its weapons. Mr. Aoun commented on the agreement this week, with Al-Jadeed quoting him saying: “I am telling you that I am not in love with Israel, but give me another solution, whatever it may be. I am telling those who oppose this framework that I am waiting for any solution or agreement that will get us out of wars.”The Lebanese president also told newspaper An-Nahar that he will not meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that should he find himself in the same room as him he would leave immediately. Both Mr. Aoun and Mr. Salam have been vocally critical of Mr. Netanyahu’s warfare in Lebanon, accusing Israel of violating its sovereignty. The Israeli government has insisted that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon and that the IDF is only there to root out Hezbollah after the terror group launched two wars against Israel in less than three years. Mr. Netanyahu meanwhile claimed in an interview with Fox News on Sunday that some Christian villages in Lebanon “have actually asked to be annexed to Israel, because we protect them against the Hezbollah fanatics who want to kill them, and we do the same things with Christians everywhere. The prime minister did not specify which villages allegedly asked to be annexed. Israel estimates that it has killed over 7.500 Hezbollah members since the first war began on October 8, 2023.

Israel, Lebanon To Hold New Peace Talks as Jerusalem Seeks To Bolster Beirut Leadership

Israel, Lebanon To Hold New Peace Talks as Jerusalem Seeks To Bolster Beirut Leadership

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