Ahead of fresh talks, Lebanon president says withdrawal of Israeli troops ‘non-negotiable’

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says Israel’s withdrawal from the country’s south is a “non-negotiable” demand that authorities will pursue through negotiations, days ahead of a new round of talks in Washington.

In a statement commemorating Israel’s previous withdrawal from south Lebanon in 2000, Aoun says that “this year, the anniversary of the liberation comes as Lebanon is weighed down by a painful reality.”

“Israeli attacks have not stopped and our dear southern villages are still suffering under a renewed occupation,” he says.

“Lebanon will not accept this reality,” Aoun says.

“The path to a full Israeli withdrawal will remain an uncompromised, constant national demand that the Lebanese state works to achieve through the option of negotiations,” he adds.

Israeli officials have said troops will remain in south Lebanon until the threat of Hezbollah is removed.

Lebanon and Israel began landmark US-brokered talks last month and are preparing for a fourth round in early June, preceded by a meeting between military delegations at the Pentagon on May 29.