Lebanese President Joseph Aoun looks on during a meeting with Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, July 9, 2025.聽
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun looks on during a meeting with Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in the capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Wednesday, July 9, 2025.聽
BEIRUT (AP) 鈥 Lebanon has no plans to have normal relations with Israel at the present time, and Beirut鈥檚 main aim is to reach a 鈥渟tate of no war鈥 with its southern neighbor, the country鈥檚 president said Friday.
President Joseph Aoun鈥檚 comments came as the Trump administration is trying to expand the signed in 2020 in which Israel signed historic pacts with United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
In May, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said during a visit to France that his country with Israel to prevent military activities along their border from going out of control. Talks about peace between Israel and Syria have increased following the ouster of from power in December.
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Aoun added in comments released by his office that only the Lebanese state will have weapons in the future, and the decision on whether Lebanon would go to war or not would be for the Lebanese government.
Aoun鈥檚 comments were an apparent reference to the militant Hezbollah group that fought a 14-month war with Israel, during which it suffered major blows including the killing of some of its and military commanders.
Hezbollah says it has ended its armed presence near the borer with Israel, but is refusing to disarm in the rest of Lebanon before Israel withdraws from five overlooking border points and ends its almost daily airstrikes on Lebanon.
Earlier this week, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met with Lebanese leaders in Beirut, saying he was satisfied with the Lebanese governments response to a proposal to disarm Hezbollah.
Hezbollah鈥檚 weapons have been one of the principal sticking points since Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon in 2000. Since then, Hebzollah fought two wars with Israel, one in 2006, and the other starting a day after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza.
The Hezbollah-Israel war, which ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire in November, left more than 4,000 people dead in Lebanon and caused destruction . In Israel, 127 people, including 80 soldiers, were killed during the war.
鈥淧eace is the state of no war and this is what is important for us in Lebanon at the present time,鈥 Aoun was quoted as telling visitors on Friday. He added that 鈥渢he matter of normalization (with Israel) is not included in Lebanon鈥檚 current foreign policy.鈥
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