Speaking during a meeting with a delegation from the Culture and Freedom Foundation led by former justice minister Ibrahim Najjar, Aoun dismissed calls for Lebanon to abandon the negotiations and said the government would continue pursuing talks until a settlement serving Lebanon’s national interests is achieved.

“We will not withdraw and we will continue until we reach a conclusion that benefits our nation,” Aoun said, according to remarks released by the presidency.

The Lebanese leader emphasized the role of state institutions in preserving sovereignty and stability, arguing that national authority remains the foundation for addressing the country’s security and political challenges.

Aoun’s comments come amid ongoing diplomatic efforts to stabilize the Israel-Lebanon frontier following months of conflict that have displaced large numbers of civilians and caused extensive damage in southern Lebanon.

Earlier, in a televised interview, Aoun made a rare direct appeal to Israel to pursue a negotiated settlement, arguing that military action alone could not guarantee long-term security.

He said Lebanon’s approach remains aligned with the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative, under which Arab states offered normalization of relations with Israel in exchange for the establishment of a Palestinian state and Israel’s withdrawal from occupied territories.

Aoun stressed, however, that progress toward broader normalization would require a gradual process and confidence-building measures rather than immediate political breakthroughs.

Lebanon and Israel agreed last week to a new ceasefire arrangement backed by the United States, but tensions have persisted amid reports of continued violence and disagreements over implementation.

The conflict escalated on March 2 when Hezbollah launched attacks against Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded with an extensive air campaign and ground operations that resulted in the occupation of areas in southern Lebanon.

According to figures cited by Lebanese officials, more than 3,600 people have been killed in Israeli military operations in Lebanon, while over one million residents have been displaced by the fighting.

Aoun’s remarks underscore Lebanon’s effort to balance diplomatic engagement with demands for concrete security and territorial guarantees, as international mediators seek to prevent a broader regional escalation.

In an interview with CNN, Aoun said Lebanon was being used as a bargaining chip in Iran’s negotiations with the United States and described such involvement as unacceptable.

Aoun also called on Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group and political movement, to accept diplomacy as the only viable path to resolving its conflict with Israel.

“Hezbollah must understand that there is no other way but to sit and talk,” Aoun said, adding that negotiation was the only means of preserving what remains of the country after years of instability and conflict.

The president’s remarks reflect growing pressure on Hezbollah following months of fighting and come as Aoun continues to advocate for the group’s peaceful disarmament, a position he has maintained since taking office last year.

The comments also underscore widening political divisions in Lebanon, where debates over Hezbollah’s military role and Iran’s influence remain central issues.

On Thursday, Hezbollah rejected a U.S.-mediated ceasefire proposal that had been discussed by Lebanese and Israeli officials. The plan reportedly called for a halt in hostilities and the withdrawal of Hezbollah fighters from southern Lebanon.

Iran has linked a ceasefire in Lebanon to broader negotiations with Washington over the regional conflict that began after U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February.

The renewed offensive comes as diplomatic efforts involving the United States and Iran continue in parallel to end a wider regional conflict that has drawn in multiple fronts across the Middle East, including the Israel-Hezbollah confrontation along the Lebanese border.

In a video statement, Netanyahu said he had directed the Israeli military to accelerate operations against the Iran-backed militant group, citing continued drone attacks on Israeli positions.

“I have ordered an even greater acceleration of our operations,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel would intensify its military campaign and increase firepower against Hezbollah.

The Israeli military subsequently launched a series of strikes across the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon and targeted multiple locations in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

Lebanese media reported that at least three people were killed in separate strikes involving two vehicles and a motorcycle. Additional airstrikes were reported near the coastal city of Tyre and in other areas of southern Lebanon.

The escalation followed evacuation warnings issued by the Israeli military for residents in 10 villages in southern Lebanon. Israeli authorities accused Hezbollah of violating the April 17 ceasefire agreement through continued attacks on Israeli forces and territory.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee said operations were being conducted in response to Hezbollah activities that breached the truce.
Hezbollah said it had carried out several drone attacks against Israeli military positions on Monday and later announced strikes targeting three military barracks and an additional post in northern Israel. The group described its actions as retaliation for Israeli violations of the ceasefire.

Despite the agreement reached in April, hostilities have persisted almost daily, underscoring the fragility of efforts to stabilize the Israel-Lebanon frontier.
The violence prompted visible displacement in parts of Lebanon. Residents were seen leaving neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, following warnings of possible expanded military action.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli operations since the outbreak of fighting in early March have killed more than 3,100 people. Israel said one soldier was killed in southern Lebanon on Sunday, bringing the number of Israeli military fatalities in the conflict to 23. One civilian contractor has also been reported killed.

Pressure for a broader military campaign has intensified within Israel’s governing coalition. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for harsher retaliatory measures against Hezbollah drone attacks, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir advocated a return to intensive warfare and greater territorial control in southern Lebanon.

Israeli forces currently maintain positions inside a security zone extending several kilometers into Lebanese territory. The military has identified the Litani River as a strategic boundary beyond which Hezbollah fighters should not operate.

Amid the escalation, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed his demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, describing the issue as non-negotiable. He also defended ongoing indirect contacts between Lebanese and Israeli officials.

The two countries, which do not maintain diplomatic relations, are scheduled to participate in talks in Washington on June 2 and 3, preceded by military-level discussions at the Pentagon later this week.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem reiterated opposition to direct negotiations with Israel and rejected calls for the group to disarm, signaling that key obstacles to a durable settlement remain unresolved.

The latest escalation highlights the challenge facing regional mediators seeking to contain multiple interconnected conflicts across the Middle East as negotiations over Iran, maritime security and broader ceasefire arrangements continue.

The national holiday marks May 25, 2000, when Israeli forces ended a 22-year presence in southern Lebanon following years of conflict. This year’s commemoration came amid continuing hostilities along the Israeli-Lebanese border, prompting Lebanese officials to emphasize the unresolved security situation in the south.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the anniversary should serve as a moment of national solidarity with families affected by the ongoing conflict, including those who have lost relatives, been wounded, displaced or remain in frontline communities.

In a statement posted on social media, Salam said Lebanon would reserve celebrations until Israeli forces had fully withdrawn from Lebanese territory and displaced residents could safely return to their homes.
President Joseph Aoun described the 2000 withdrawal as the result of sacrifices made by residents of southern Lebanon, calling the anniversary a symbol of national dignity.

He said, however, that the occasion was being observed amid continued military operations in southern villages and what he characterized as ongoing violations of international resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

Aoun reiterated Lebanon’s commitment to securing a complete Israeli withdrawal through diplomatic negotiations while emphasizing the role of the Lebanese state and armed forces in safeguarding national sovereignty.

The statements came as tensions remained elevated in southern Lebanon. Residents of 10 villages were ordered to evacuate on Monday as bombardments continued and concerns mounted over a broader escalation along the border region.

According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed at least 18 people and wounded 21 others. The ministry said the cumulative death toll linked to the conflict had reached 3,151.

The anniversary has long held symbolic significance in Lebanon’s modern history, marking the end of Israel’s military presence in most of southern Lebanon after more than two decades. This year, however, the observance reflected the extent to which renewed cross-border hostilities have reshaped the country’s political and security landscape.

Lebanese leaders used the occasion to underscore both the legacy of the 2000 withdrawal and the challenges posed by the current conflict, as military operations and civilian displacement continue to affect communities across the south.

Aoun’s remarks came after Israeli strikes targeted several locations in southern Lebanon and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah announced a drone attack on what it described as a military target in northern Israel.

“The framework that Lebanon has set for the negotiations consists of an Israeli withdrawal, a ceasefire, the deployment of the army along the border, the return of the displaced, and economic aid,” Aoun said in a statement.

“My duty, based on my position and my responsibility, is to do the impossible, and to choose what is least costly, in order to stop the war against Lebanon and its people,” he added.

The ceasefire, initially reached on April 17, was extended by 45 days last week following a third round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli representatives in Washington. Hezbollah has opposed the negotiations.

Despite the truce, violence has persisted along the border. Hezbollah said Monday it launched a drone targeting an Iron Dome air defense platform at an Israeli military encampment in northern Israel, describing the strike as retaliation for Israeli ceasefire violations.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported multiple Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon, while the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for residents in three southern Lebanese towns.

The latest escalation followed Israeli strikes on Sunday that Lebanese authorities said killed seven people, including a member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in northeastern Lebanon, away from the border region.

Israeli forces have maintained operations inside parts of southern Lebanon within a self-declared “yellow line” extending roughly 10 kilometers north of the border. Israeli troops have also carried out demolitions in areas under their control.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel was confronting growing threats from first-person-view drones increasingly deployed by Hezbollah against Israeli forces.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli military operations have killed more than 2,900 people in Lebanon since the conflict began, including more than 400 since the ceasefire took effect in April.

Hadja Lahbib said after talks with Joseph Aoun in Beirut that more than three million people across Lebanon currently depend on aid.“At present, more than three million people, meaning more than half of the population here in Lebanon, depend on humanitarian aid to survive,” Lahbib told reporters.

The comments underscore the growing humanitarian toll of the conflict that erupted on March 2 between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, displacing more than one million people and placing severe strain on Lebanon’s already fragile economy and public services.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes since early March have killed more than 2,700 people. Israel has continued military operations in Lebanon despite a ceasefire aimed at halting the two-month war.

Lahbib said the European Union had allocated 100 million euros ($108 million) in assistance since the start of the conflict and dispatched six humanitarian aid flights to Lebanon, with another expected on Saturday.

The United Nations launched an emergency appeal in March seeking $308 million for humanitarian operations in Lebanon. U.N. agencies say only $126 million has been secured so far, leaving critical funding gaps for food, shelter and medical assistance.

Lahbib described the ceasefire as “a narrow window of hope” but said a sustainable peace would require action from both sides.She called on Hezbollah to halt attacks and disarm, while urging Israel to end its bombardment campaign.

“For a ceasefire to lead to peace, courage is needed political courage to address the root causes of this conflict,” Lahbib said.Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting are continuing, with Israel and Lebanon expected to hold a third round of talks in Washington next week despite Hezbollah’s opposition to direct negotiations with Israel.

Berri, Lebanon’s most senior Shiite political figure and an ally of Hezbollah, said the priority must be halting hostilities before any political process begins, rejecting talks without guarantees that Israel would cease its attacks, according to comments published by An-Nahar newspaper.

His remarks came as Israeli forces issued new evacuation warnings to residents of four villages beyond a self-declared security zone, accusing Hezbollah of violating a ceasefire agreed in mid-April and extended into May.

The conflict escalated after Israel launched operations in Lebanon in March targeting Hezbollah, which had been firing across the border in support of Iran following attacks by Israel and the United States on Tehran.

Despite the ceasefire, hostilities have continued at a lower intensity, with Israel maintaining a presence in parts of southern Lebanon and conducting strikes, while Hezbollah has carried out attacks on Israeli forces. The group said it conducted 11 operations on Sunday.

Lebanon’s government has called for a lasting arrangement that would end recurring cycles of violence, though it has stopped short of seeking a formal peace agreement. Israel has said any deal must include the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Donald Trump, who hosted delegations from both sides for talks last month, said there was a strong possibility of reaching a peace agreement this year and expressed interest in facilitating further discussions involving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

Hezbollah and Berri have opposed direct negotiations, while Aoun has supported lower-level talks aimed first at consolidating a ceasefire before addressing broader issues, including Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced civilians and detainee exchanges.

Lebanon’s health ministry says more than 2,600 people have been killed since early March. Israel says 17 of its soldiers and two civilians have died in the cross-border fighting.

The appeal came as Washington sought to advance direct diplomacy following two rounds of Lebanese-Israeli talks held this month in Washington, the first such high-level contacts in decades, after cross-border fighting involving Iran-backed Hezbollah escalated into a wider regional conflict in March.

President Donald Trump had announced a 10-day ceasefire beginning on April 17, later extending it by three weeks after the second round of discussions. He has said he hopes to host Aoun and Netanyahu “over the next couple of weeks” as both sides prepare for direct negotiations.

In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut said Lebanon faced a decisive moment and called for leadership from Beirut to move toward a broader political settlement.

“Lebanon stands at a crossroads. Its people have a historic opportunity to reclaim their country and shape their future as a truly sovereign, independent nation,” the embassy said.

It added that a direct meeting between Aoun and Netanyahu, facilitated by Trump, could secure guarantees on sovereignty, territorial integrity, border security, reconstruction support and the restoration of Lebanese state authority across all its territory.

The proposal has exposed divisions inside Lebanon, where Hezbollah has rejected direct negotiations with Israel and opposed Beirut’s previous commitment to disarm the group, a longstanding demand from Western governments and Israel.

Aoun said on Wednesday that Israel must first fully implement the ceasefire before negotiations could meaningfully proceed.“Israeli attacks cannot continue as they are,” he said, adding that Lebanon was waiting for the United States to set a date for the start of direct negotiations.

Israeli forces have continued military operations despite the truce, maintaining troop activity inside what officials describe as a “Yellow Line,” a zone extending roughly 10 km into southern Lebanon along the border.Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on Thursday killed at least 17 people in the south, including five women and two children.

The Lebanese army said a separate strike killed one of its soldiers.Israel’s military also said one of its soldiers had been killed in southern Lebanon.

Aoun on Thursday condemned what he called Israel’s “continuing violations” of the ceasefire, citing airstrikes, demolitions of homes and places of worship, and attacks on civilians and emergency personnel.

Speaking to a delegation from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, he called for international pressure on Israel to halt attacks on civilians, paramedics, civil defense teams and humanitarian workers.

Three Lebanese civil defense personnel killed in Israeli strikes were buried on Thursday.Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported multiple Israeli airstrikes across the south, while an Israeli military spokesperson issued evacuation warnings for more than 20 villages near the border.

Hezbollah said it carried out 10 attacks on Israeli military targets in southern Lebanon, including strikes on tanks and troop positions.In Beirut, dozens of residents from southern Lebanon and local officials gathered to protest what they described as the continued destruction of villages despite the ceasefire.

“We will not surrender and will not normalize,” protester Hanaa Ibrahim, 48, told AFP.The ceasefire text published by the U.S. State Department states that Israel retains the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks,” language Hezbollah says was never formally presented to Lebanon’s cabinet.

Aoun said on Wednesday that the wording matched the November 2024 ceasefire agreement that ended the previous war and that all parties had accepted it at the time.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, rejected that account, calling Aoun’s remarks “inaccurate, to say the least,” and disputing that the same terms had been accepted in the earlier agreement.

Bukhari made the remarks during meetings in Beirut with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, and Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Sami Abi Al-Muna, as Saudi Arabia continues diplomatic engagement over Lebanon’s political and security crisis.

During his meeting with Derian, Bukhari said Riyadh remained committed to Lebanon’s unity and was working diplomatically to support solutions that reinforce security, stability and prosperity while backing Lebanese state institutions.

He said the Taif Accord, which ended Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war and restructured the country’s political system, remained the backbone of any sustainable national settlement.

Derian praised Saudi Arabia’s role in supporting Lebanon’s stability under what he described as exceptional circumstances and said rebuilding the Lebanese state was the only path toward national recovery.

He called for restoring state authority across all Lebanese territory, limiting weapons to the Lebanese army and reaffirming commitment to the Taif Agreement while strengthening national unity.

Derian also welcomed diplomatic efforts by President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, supported by Arab and international partners, to end the war in Lebanon and secure a broader political settlement.

In a separate meeting with Al-Khatib, Bukhari expressed optimism about Lebanon’s future and said preserving civil peace required agreement among the country’s three top leaders on a shared national path.He praised Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri for what he described as wisdom and experience during critical political moments.

Bukhari also recalled late former parliament speaker Hussein Husseini, often regarded as a principal architect of the Taif Agreement, citing his well-known remark that “the alternative to Taif is implementing Taif.”

Al-Khatib said Saudi Arabia played an important role in maintaining civil peace in Lebanon and stressed that his side did not seek a separate political project.He added that Arab and Islamic states needed greater coordination to confront regional instability and said Saudi Arabia was central to any broader effort to strengthen regional cooperation while respecting national sovereignty.

Bukhari later met Abi Al-Muna to discuss continuing military operations in the region, efforts to stop the war in Lebanon, and Saudi diplomatic initiatives aimed at helping the country navigate its political and economic crisis.

The talks also covered the recent visit to Lebanon by Saudi Foreign Ministry adviser Yazid bin Farhan and broader efforts to preserve national unity and avoid further escalation.

The Israeli military said it had begun targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in the Bekaa region as well as in southern Lebanon, while security sources told Reuters that strikes hit near the town of Nabi Chit, close to Lebanon’s border with Syria.

No immediate fatalities were reported.The strikes marked the first attacks on the Bekaa Valley since the ceasefire came into force, significantly reducing but not ending the exchange of fire between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group.

Israel has continued near-daily strikes across southern Lebanon and maintains troops in a strip of territory along the border, where it says operations are aimed at dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and preventing further attacks.

Lebanon’s state news agency reported multiple Israeli strikes in southern areas on Monday that wounded at least three people.Hezbollah said it had attacked an Israeli tank in southern Lebanon using a drone.

The Israeli military later confirmed that a Hezbollah drone exploded near its troops in southern Lebanon but said no casualties were reported.The ceasefire followed weeks of intense fighting that escalated after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel on March 2 in support of its ally Iran, prompting a broad Israeli ground and air campaign across Lebanon.

Since then, more than 2,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon, with large parts of the south heavily damaged and thousands displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

The conflict has deepened political divisions inside Lebanon, particularly over Hezbollah’s independent military role and the prospect of diplomatic engagement with Israel.

Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States have held two rounds of discussions related to the ceasefire framework, which is intended to create conditions for possible direct negotiations aimed at securing a broader peace arrangement between the longtime adversaries.

Hezbollah has strongly rejected such talks.Its leader, Naim Qassem, said on Monday that direct negotiations with Israel would amount to a “humiliating and unnecessary concession,” dismissing any outcomes from such discussions as irrelevant to the group.

“Let it be clear, these direct negotiations and their outcomes are considered nonexistent to us and do not concern us at all,” Qassem said in a written statement. “We will continue our defensive resistance for Lebanon and its people.”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun defended the government’s decision to pursue face-to-face talks and appeared to criticize Hezbollah’s unilateral decision to enter the regional conflict without broad national agreement.

“What we are doing is not treason; rather, treason is committed by whoever takes his country to war to achieve external interests,” Aoun said in a statement released by his office, without naming Hezbollah directly.

“Some hold us accountable for deciding to go to negotiations on the pretext of the lack of national consensus, and I ask: When you went to war, did you first obtain national consensus?” he said.

The remarks underscored widening internal tensions over Lebanon’s security policy as the government seeks to balance domestic political divisions, ongoing Israeli military pressure and international efforts to prevent a broader regional escalation.