Lebanon’s Aoun vows to secure Israeli withdrawal, rebuild country’s south during surprise visit

BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun pledges to achieve an Israeli withdrawal and rebuild the area during a surprise visit to the country’s south.

Official Lebanese media says he arrived in the city of Nabatieh unannounced and accompanied by security officials, including army chief Rodolphe Haykal.

His visit comes a day after a senior US diplomatic official said a new round of US-brokered talks between Israel and Lebanon, initially scheduled for next week, had been pushed back to October.

Aoun expressed solidarity with locals in Nabatieh who greeted him, according to footage broadcast by Lebanese media.

He praised staff at Nabatieh Governmental Hospital, saying they were risking their lives to provide medical services in the area, which most people have fled.

The visit is Aoun’s first to the south since Hezbollah attacked Israel in March to support its patron Iran, prompting an Israeli air and ground incursion.

“We stand by your side, and we are looking into how to provide all the necessary services so that you can remain here safely,” he says, according to a statement from the presidency.

“The withdrawal of Israel, the return of prisoners and displaced people, as well as reconstruction, are national constants that the state is committed to implementing,” Aoun says.

After Nabatieh, the president traveled to Zawtar al-Gharbiya, one of the pilot withdrawal zones agreed to with Israel, where he inspected Lebanese army units and observed nearby positions of the Israeli military, the presidency says.

A video released by the presidency showed him walking through the area and speaking with locals and soldiers.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.