Lebanon advances that it will propose to Israel the extension of the truce and will demand that it cease demolitions in the south

The president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, announced this Wednesday that the diplomatic delegation that will meet with Israel this Thursday in Washington will demand the extension of the ceasefire agreement agreed upon last week and that the demolitions of the Israeli Army in the south of the country cease.

The delegation “will raise the issue of extending the deadline of the ceasefire agreement” and will put on the table the demand that Israel “stop demolition operations in towns and villages in the south,” the Lebanese president indicated in a message on social networks on the eve of the meeting sponsored by the US State Department, which facilitates the first direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in more than 30 years.

“Lebanon’s orientation in the planned negotiations is clear: there will be no concessions, no compromises, no cessions, except that which guarantees Lebanese sovereignty and the interest of all Lebanese,” warned Aoun, who indicated that the delegation maintains preparatory contacts led by the Lebanese ambassador in Washington, Nada Hamadé Maouad.

In his message, the Lebanese president has reiterated his commitment to direct negotiation, alluding that past experiences “have taught that wars only lead to death, destruction and displacement.” “I knew that there would be those who would oppose, doubt and make accusations, but I am convinced that this option is the safest for Lebanon and for the Lebanese, regardless of their affiliation,” he stressed, in a call for national unity in the face of the situation the country is going through and the need to face negotiations with Tel Aviv to restore stability.

In this way, he has defended that only “national rationality” can “guarantee the necessary support for the negotiation process that will begin after consolidating the ceasefire.”

“It is important that the Lebanese interact with the unity of the national position to strengthen the Lebanese negotiating team against the Israeli negotiating delegation, so that no internal gap is taken advantage of to achieve its objectives,” he stressed.

ISRAEL ASSURES THAT THERE ARE NO “SERIOUS DISAGREEMENTS”

Before the new round of contacts, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Saar, has also expressed himself, assuring that there are no “serious disagreements” with Lebanon regarding the negotiations in Washington, after defending the “historic decision” to maintain a “direct negotiation” with Beirut.

“Unfortunately, Lebanon is a failed state. A state that is de facto under Iranian occupation through Hezbollah. But this also leads to a conclusion: Hezbollah is a common enemy of Israel and Lebanon,” said Saar, insisting on his campaign in the neighboring country alleging the presence of the Shiite militia, in statements reported by the newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’.

In this way, the head of Israel’s Foreign Affairs has insisted that Hezbollah “threatens the security of Israel, harms the sovereignty of Lebanon and endangers its future”, which is why he has urged Beirut to “work together” against the “terrorist state that Hezbollah has built in its territory.” “This cooperation is necessary for you even more than for us. It requires moral clarity and the courage to take risks,” he indicated in reference to the Lebanese authorities.