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Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that securing a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory remains a national priority, stressing that negotiations aimed at protecting sovereignty are not a form of concession.
“The path to a complete Israeli withdrawal remains a steadfast national demand, one that the Lebanese state is working to achieve through negotiations,” Aoun said in a statement carried by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
His remarks came as Lebanon marked Resistance and Liberation Day, which commemorates Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation.
Aoun said negotiations with Israel “will not be an act of concession or surrender.”
He said the talks instead represent Lebanon’s effort to assert its sovereign right to protect its territory through the country’s military and security institutions.
Beirut and Tel Aviv have held three rounds of direct talks mediated by the U.S. since mid-April as part of efforts to establish a lasting peace arrangement.
A ceasefire took effect on April 17 and was later extended into early July.
Despite the ceasefire, Israeli military operations have continued in southern Lebanon.
According to Lebanese officials, more than 3,100 people have been killed, over 9,500 injured and around 1.6 million displaced by Israeli bombardments in Lebanon since March 2 during the ongoing conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah.
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