Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, slammed Hezbollah and Iran in an interview with CNN on Friday, saying that his country’s people “are not [Hezbollah leader] Naim Qassem’s people.”
Aoun told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that he spoke to a diverse number of Lebanese civilians, who have told him that they are “fed up” with the war between Hezbollah and Israel.
“They deserve not seeing their homes destroyed every five to ten years,” Aoun said, describing the war as “futile.”
Regarding Iran, Aoun accused the Islamic Republic of using Lebanon “for the sake of your [Iran’s] own interest.”
“You are not trying to help us,” said Aoun. “The people of Lebanon are paying the price.”
He then criticized statements by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) connecting Lebanon to a potential US-Iran ceasefire, saying the regime is “using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation.”
“It’s unacceptable,” he said. “It’s not your country, it’s our country.”
Lebanese PM: Iran bringing ‘destruction and ruin’ to Lebanon
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam concurred with Aoun’s assessment of Iran, further accusing the Islamic regime of bringing “destruction and ruin” to Lebanon.
On Friday, Salam spoke of Iran’s rejection of the recent ceasefire framework, calling it “proof that this is not our war, but one that is being waged on our land and at the expense of our residents.”
President Aoun also discussed Israel with CNN, emphasizing that he believed that only negotiations would bring safety and security to the region.
He directed a question to the Israeli people, asking them if they truly want to live in “perpetual war.”
“We are ready, we are willing, we are committed [to negotiations],” he said. “If you [Israel] are not, you will never live in peace, safety, and security.”
Aoun claimed that both Lebanese citizens and Israelis are “fed up with war,” and added that the negotiations are a “huge opportunity” for both countries.
Israel, Lebanon reach ceasefire, which Hezbollah refuses to recognize
This comes after representatives from the US, Israel, and Lebanon met in Washington this week for another round of ceasefire talks.
The US State Department said on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon had agreed to implement a ceasefire following US-led negotiations between the parties.
According to the State Department, the ceasefire agreement was contingent on Hezbollah completely stopping its attacks and evacuating from the area south of the Litani River.
On Thursday, Hezbollah leader Qassem said that talks between Israel and Lebanon were tantamount to “surrender,” rejected by “broad segments of the Lebanese people.”
Qassem rejected the US-backed ceasefire as “a roadmap for the annihilation of a section of the Lebanese people and the enslavement of the rest.”
“As long as the occupation exists, the resistance will continue,” he said in a written statement.
During talks on Tuesday, senior members of the Israeli delegation said that Hezbollah did not stop fighting, despite promising US President Donald Trump to do so on Monday.
Under the framework discussed by parties in Washington DC, “pilot zones” would be established in which the Lebanese army would have exclusive control, with no non-state actors present.
The framework would “enable progress towards a comprehensive peace and security agreement,” the State Department said.
Notably, Aoun told CNN that he would only meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an agreement was reached in the negotiations.
THE JERUSALEM POST