Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday urged Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to save Lebanon from its "real foe," Israel, a day after Aoun called on Tehran to stop interfering in his country's affairs. "Based on Mr. Aoun's comments, one would think it's Iran that has occupied one-fifth of Lebanon, displaced one-quarter of its population and is bombing the country on a daily basis," Araghchi wrote on X. "If Lebanon were a bargaining chip for Iran, we would have reached an agreement long ago. Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President," he added. Aoun, in an interview broadcast Friday by CNN, called on Iran to stop "interfering" in Lebanon's affairs following the collapse of a new truce announced by Washington between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. "This is not your country. It is our country, our responsibility, and your role is not to interfere in our affairs," Aoun said. "It is our people who are being killed, and our homes that are being destroyed," he added. The Lebanese president has faced opposition from Hezbollah and segments of Lebanese public opinion since the launch of direct negotiations with Israel, the first such talks between the two countries in decades. Lebanon and Israel do not maintain diplomatic relations. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also urged Iran to stop using Lebanon as a "card" to improve its negotiating position in talks with the United States. Tehran has demanded that any agreement with Washington to end the war that began on Feb. 28 with a US-Israeli bombing campaign include a ceasefire on the Lebanese front and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. The conflict in Lebanon erupted on March 2 after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in response to the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in the initial US-Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel responded with a broad campaign of air strikes and ground incursions in southern Lebanon. According to the latest official figures cited by AFP, Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 3,560 people since the conflict began. On the Israeli side, 27 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in Lebanon.
