Lebanon’s Leadership Accuses Iran of Using the Country as a Bargaining Chip
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said today, Friday, that Iran is "using Lebanon as a bargaining chip" in the negotiations it is conducting with the United States, thereby bringing "destruction and ruin" on the country. His remarks, made to ambassadors and international representatives in Lebanon, came after a round of ceasefire talks with Israel in Washington, which ended with an agreement between the two countries.
According to Salam, Lebanon was surprised to hear that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran was the first to reject the agreement. "This is proof that this is not our war, but one being waged on our land and at the expense of our residents," he said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun echoed similar messages in an interview with CNN. "The peoples of Israel and Lebanon have a huge opportunity to live in peace. I think both peoples are tired of wars. The best way to end wars is diplomacy. The parties will not be able to achieve their goals otherwise."
"Most of the Lebanese people are tired of wars. They want to live in peace and they deserve it. They deserve not to see their homes destroyed every few years. This is my commitment to my people, this is the Lebanese people, not the people of Naim Qassem," Aoun added. In his view, disarming Hezbollah is a problem to be resolved within Lebanon, while the IDF’s presence in the country is part of the problem, and Israeli forces must pull back.
A political figure in the camp opposing Hezbollah in Lebanon told Kan News yesterday that the agreement reached between Israel and Lebanon is "historic." According to the anti-Hezbollah political figure, the agreement is significant because it explicitly addresses ending the hostility between Israel and Lebanon, and states that Hezbollah is the problem. The figure also added that Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem’s rejection of the agreement gives Israel justification to continue the war, and that Hezbollah will bear sole responsibility for its consequences.
At the same time, a senior Israeli official told Kan News that the agreement reached gave Lebanon an opportunity to dismantle Hezbollah. The official added that the United States understands the Israeli position and Israel’s commitment to provide protection to residents if the agreement is not implemented.
The agreed framework is conditioned on Hezbollah ceasing fire and withdrawing from the area south of the Litani River. It also said that the two sides agreed to advance the creation of "pilot zones," in which the Lebanese army would receive exclusive control over the territory, while "removing any non-state actor."
The Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al Watan reported, citing sources in Beirut, that the Israeli side rejected the delegation’s proposal to choose Bint Jbeil as the test area. "No one agreed on anything," the sources said. "Bint Jbeil was suggested as an idea, but the matter has not yet been decided, although Lebanon is open to any area or strip of territory."
More on the topic: Eitan Lamberg’s brother, who fell in Lebanon, was in the fighting from October 7. A Hezbollah explosive drone hit the vehicle of the commander of the Northern Command.
