Lebanese Foreign Minister Excluded from Israel-Lebanon Talks Over Anti-Hezbollah Stance

Lebanese Foreign Minister Joseph Aoun has been completely excluded from the upcoming direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel due to his nationalist positions against Hezbollah. This was reported by Roee Kays on Kan News ahead of the new round of talks set to begin in Rome tomorrow. A Lebanese political source told Kan News that President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati are sidelining Foreign Minister Aoun from the negotiations because of his opposition to the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Aoun is seen as one of the most nationalist figures against Hezbollah within the Lebanese government. His party, the Christian Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, has already complained to Beirut's leadership about his exclusion from the talks. The Foreign Minister was also not included in President Aoun's recent visit to the United States, where the president met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House for the first time.

According to the Lebanese political source, President Aoun and Prime Minister Mikati aim to avoid provoking Hezbollah and the Shia Amal movement led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. As a result, they have kept Joseph Aoun, considered a red line figure, out of the negotiation process. The source added that this development is not promising, as it indicates that despite important steps taken by Beirut's leadership against Hezbollah and toward direct talks with Israel, they are still unwilling to fully commit to the process.