Lebanese President Joseph Aoun called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and proposed that Lebanese forces disarm the Iran-backed terrorist group, according to a statement summarizing a conversation with senior European Union leaders.
Aoun discussed the situation in Lebanon on Monday with European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, outlining what he described as a plan to end the fighting.
The initiative includes several main points, beginning with a comprehensive ceasefire and the cessation of all Israeli attacks on Lebanon by land, air and sea.
Under the proposal, logistical support for Lebanese armed forces would be accelerated. Those forces would then immediately take control of tense areas, confiscate all weapons there and dismantle Hezbollah’s weapons stockpiles based on all available information and intelligence.
The plan also calls for Lebanon and Israel to begin direct negotiations under international sponsorship to reach an agreement on implementing the proposed measures.
Speaking during the conversation, Aoun said the humanitarian situation in Lebanon had deteriorated rapidly.
“I speak to you now while more than 600,000 of my people are displaced. Some are in the streets, without shelter and even without the most basic necessities of life,” he said. “More than 400 of my people have been killed in recent days, including 83 children and 42 women. More than 1,100 have been wounded, all within just a few days.”
Aoun said Lebanon is caught between Israeli strikes and Hezbollah, which he said operates outside the authority of the state and disregards Lebanon’s national interests and the lives of its citizens.
The Lebanese president also referred to rockets fired from Lebanon into Israel on Monday, March 2, describing the attack as a “trap and ambush” against Lebanon itself.
He said those responsible sought to force Lebanon into a choice between two outcomes: entering a direct confrontation with what he called Israeli aggression that would turn Lebanon into “another Gaza,” or avoiding such a confrontation and allowing the armed group to launch a populist campaign claiming the state is incapable of protecting its citizens.
“Whoever launched those rockets wanted to bring about the collapse of the Lebanese state,” Aoun said.
Lebanon also emphasized its full solidarity and support for Arab countries that it said have been attacked by Iran, according to the statement.