Lebanese president says full Israeli withdrawal remains national priority

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that securing a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory remains a national priority.

“The path to a complete Israeli withdrawal remains a steadfast national demand, one that the Lebanese state is working to achieve through negotiations,” Aoun said in a statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

The remarks came as Lebanon marked Resistance and Liberation Day, commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation.

Aoun said negotiations with Israel “will not be an act of concession or surrender,” but instead represent Lebanon’s effort to assert its sovereign right to protect its territory through the country’s military and security institutions.

Beirut and Tel Aviv have held three rounds of direct talks mediated by the United States since mid-April in efforts to establish a lasting peace arrangement.

Despite a ceasefire that took effect on April 17 and was later extended into early July, Israeli military operations have continued in southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanese officials, more than 3,100 people have been killed, over 9,500 injured and around 1.6 million displaced by Israeli bombardments in Lebanon since March 2 during the ongoing conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah.