Lebanon’s Aoun: We’re waiting for US to set date for Israel talks, but full ceasefire must come first

Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter

Lebanon is waiting for the White House to set a date for the start of direct negotiations with Israel, Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun tells local business leaders.

The only path for Israel to achieve security, he says, is through negotiations, but it must accept a full ceasefire before talks.

“If Israel believes that through its violations and the destruction of border villages, it can achieve security,” says Aoun, “then it is mistaken, because it has tried that before and it did not lead to any result.”

The US-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, which started on April 16, was extended for an additional three weeks, US President Donald Trump announced last week during talks in Washington between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors, despite continued cross-border violence.

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