Lebanon’s president says he wants Israel security deal as prelude to peace

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun tells AFP in an interview he wants a security agreement with Israel once it withdraws its troops as a possible prelude to peace, and is determined to disarm Hezbollah without a confrontation.

Speaking ahead of his departure to France, President Joseph Aoun says Lebanon wants a new force, European or otherwise, to prevent a security vacuum after UN peacekeepers leave south Lebanon when their mandate expires at the end of the year.

He calls on the United States, European Union and Arab countries to support Lebanon’s military as it deploys across the country.

Lebanon under Aoun has committed to disarming Iran-backed Hezbollah, which dragged the country into the wider Middle East war by attacking Israel earlier this year. Hezbollah has refused to disarm, and Israeli officials are doubtful that Beirut will follow through on its pledges.

Aoun says he wants a security agreement with Israel “primarily to end the state of hostility and the deployment of the army on the border. This could be a prelude to a later peace agreement, but we cannot jump directly to a peace agreement.”

“We have no choice but negotiations, because the alternative is war, which would be very costly for us,” he adds.

In Paris, Aoun will attend a meeting hosted by President Emmanuel Macron and attended by King Abdullah II of Jordan to build international support for Lebanese troops as they deploy across the country.