Lebanon’s President, Joseph Aoun, has called for direct negotiations with Israel as part of a proposed plan to end the escalating conflict with Hezbollah, while sharply criticising the Iran-backed group for drawing the country into a wider regional war.
A spokesperson for President Aoun told the BBC that Lebanon is willing to negotiate—but only once Israeli attacks on the country cease.
During a virtual meeting with senior European Union officials on Monday, Aoun outlined a four-point plan aimed at establishing “permanent security and stability arrangements” along Lebanon’s borders.
Under the plan, a complete truce would coincide with Hezbollah’s disarmament, alongside international support for the Lebanese Armed Forces to restore control over “areas of tension.” Lebanon and Israel would then enter direct negotiations under international sponsorship to implement the proposed measures.
Israeli officials have so far shown little indication of support for the negotiations, and the government has not immediately commented.
Aoun highlighted the devastating impact of the conflict on Lebanon, noting that more than 700,000 people—including 200,000 children—have been displaced, with hundreds killed in Israeli strikes over the past nine days, according to the United Nations.
“Some of them are on the roads. They have no shelter and not even the most basic necessities of life,” he said.
In unusually direct remarks, the Lebanese president accused Hezbollah of acting against the country’s national interests, blaming the Shia Muslim militia and political movement for escalating tensions and undermining Lebanon’s stability.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has condemned Hezbollah as an “armed faction” that places “no weight on Lebanon’s interests or the lives of its people,” claiming the group seeks the “collapse of the Lebanese state under aggression and chaos.”
The remarks follow the Lebanese government’s declaration last week that Hezbollah’s military operations are illegal, though the state currently lacks the capacity to disarm the group independently.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directly addressed the Lebanese government on X last week, stating: “It is your responsibility to enforce the ceasefire agreement, and it is your responsibility to disarm Hezbollah.”
Joshua Zarka, Israel’s ambassador to France, added on Tuesday that Beirut had yet to take meaningful steps toward disarming the group. “At this stage, I’m not aware of any decision to enter negotiations to end this war,” he said. “What would end it is the disarmament of Hezbollah – and that is a choice for the Lebanese government.”
Although a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024 under U.S. and French mediation, it has largely failed to hold. Israel has continued near-daily strikes, accusing Hezbollah of attempting to rearm and rebuild its presence.
Hezbollah entered the conflict two days after the start of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, firing rockets and drones into northern Israel. The group claimed it was retaliating for the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and ongoing Israeli strikes.
President Aoun, however, described Hezbollah’s actions as a deliberate ambush targeting Lebanon and its army, designed to draw Israel into a wider incursion. Israel maintains that the attacks justified an expanded campaign against Hezbollah, including repeated air strikes and commando raids inside Lebanese territory, which will continue until the group is disarmed. Hezbollah, in turn, has vowed to keep attacking Israel, regardless of the cost.
The violence has already taken a heavy toll. According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, at least 486 people have been killed in Israeli strikes, while the Israeli military reports two soldiers killed in southern Lebanon.
For civilians, the escalation has revived widespread fear and displacement. Ahmed al-Halabi, a father of two from the Dahieh area of south Beirut, fled with his extended family as missiles struck nearby.
“We were running away from the bombing! There’s no safety!” he told the BBC. “I have little kids and the living conditions were already bad. You can only imagine how it is during wartime. I just want to keep my kids safe.”
Ahmed is now sheltering with his family in a school in central Beirut, converted into a temporary refuge. “This is the second time my kids have experienced this, and they have developed psychological trauma. The adults can live with this. The kids cannot,” he added