The president of Lebanon calls for “pressure” on Israel to withdraw its troops from Lebanese soil

The Lebanese president, Michel Aoun, defended this Monday the need to pressure Israel to withdraw its military forces from southern Lebanon as the only formula to achieve “a just and lasting peace.”

Aoun has thus advocated the return of the Lebanese Army to the border with Israel “because the prolongation of the occupation undermines the legitimacy of the State” and prevents the return of the displaced population to their homes, reports a statement from the Lebanese Presidency.

In fact, he has warned that Israeli “intransigence” and its permanence in southern Lebanon “does not help the objectives of the United States and Lebanon for the reestablishment of sovereignty, independence and institutional reinforcement” of the country.

He has thus specifically appealed to the pressure of the United States Administration to force an Israeli withdrawal “key to any real, tangible and realistic progress on the path to peace.”

The Lebanese president held a telematic meeting with representatives of the United States Task Force for Lebanon, an association that brings together relevant Americans of Lebanese descent. During the meeting, Aoun defended the controversial agreement reached with Israel that legitimizes Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah stops being a threat.

“Negotiation was the only option left after the war failed to achieve its stated objectives,” argued the Lebanese official.

The agreement has been highly criticized by the Shiite militia party Hezbollah and the Lebanese president himself has warned that “civil war has no place” in the country, “despite the attempts of some to rekindle the conflict.”

“We have all suffered the tragedies of the civil war and its consequences in all sectors of Lebanese society, something that is also understood by the religious and political leaders who work to prevent it,” he noted before expressly mentioning the president of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri.