Lead:
President Joseph Aoun chaired a high-level meeting at Baabda Palace with army commander General Rudolf Haikal and the head of the Lebanese negotiating delegation, former ambassador Simon Karam, to consolidate Lebanon's positions ahead of an anticipated Washington round of talks. The session came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly refused to withdraw from southern Lebanon, a US-Iran memorandum of understanding was signed, and regional pressure on Beirut intensified from multiple directions.
Details:
According to Al-Akhbar and Al-Diyar, President Aoun told a visiting ministerial delegation from Qatar, France, and the United Kingdom — received by parliament speaker Nabih Berri at his Ain al-Tineh residence — that Lebanon's stability is critical not only to the region but to Europe. Aoun was also quoted as insisting that Lebanon's negotiating track remains entirely independent from the Iran-US negotiations, stating that Beirut supports a ceasefire but will not have its file merged with Tehran's dossier.
Al-Diyar reports that Netanyahu publicly declared Israel would not withdraw from southern Lebanon for as long as Israeli security requirements demand a continued presence. Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir was separately quoted in war media stating that Lebanon constitutes Israel's primary strategic focus. Diplomatic and political sources cited by Al-Jumhouriya — as relayed via Tayyar.org — described ongoing Israeli military escalation in the south as deliberate fire maneuvers aimed at strengthening Israel's hand before any formal negotiations begin.
Al-Diyar further reports that Justice Minister Adel Nassar underlined that restoring Lebanese sovereignty requires a full Israeli withdrawal and the exclusive concentration of arms in the hands of the Lebanese state, rejecting all external interference. Meanwhile, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem insisted that Washington's project to destabilize Iran had failed, and that any agreement must include a complete ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal, and no disarmament of his group. A diplomatic source cited by LBCI suggested that the phrase "guaranteeing Lebanese territorial unity and sovereignty" embedded in the US-Iran memorandum implies both an end to Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory and the consolidation of all military and political decision-making authority within the Lebanese state.
The Lebanese Army confirmed that specialized units continue to dismantle large unexploded Israeli aerial munitions in southern villages, while the Ministry of Public Works announced the resumption of its "Reconnecting Lebanon" road-restoration campaign in the south, with electricity partially restored to Marjayoun, Hasbaya, and the Arkoub after more than three weeks of outages.
Watch For: