BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday urged the United States and France to pressure Israel to halt its attacks on Lebanon as the Lebanese army begins rolling out a security plan to disarm Hezbollah and other armed groups.
His statements came during a meeting with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian who arrived in Beirut from Saudi Arabia for talks with senior Lebanese officials on the country’s plan to disarm Hezbollah amid escalated Israeli attacks. The meeting also comes as France prepares to host two international aid conferences to support Lebanon’s army and economic reconstruction efforts.
In a statement, Aoun affirmed that the security plan that the Lebanese army has started implementing south of the Litani region to restrict weapons to the state aims to remove all armed groups from the Lebanese and Palestinian sides.
“However, the ongoing Israeli occupation of several Lebanese territories and its refusal to respond to international calls to stop its attacks are preventing the army from completing its deployment up to the international borders,” he added.
Aoun told to Le Drian that “any French or American pressure on Israel to respond to the will of the international community to halt its hostilities would help the Lebanese army complete the security plan.”
He said that the army would continue its work across all territories and borders, setting up barriers and checkpoints under strict orders to confiscate weapons and ammunition from all parties.
According to his media office, Aoun reiterated his gratitude to France for its role in renewing the UNIFIL mandate, noting that the extension for one year and four months as an operational force, and for a full year as a start to the withdrawal from the south, “allows for an organized departure process and gives the Lebanese army sufficient time to strengthen its capabilities, especially if the Israelis withdraw and cease their attacks.”
He thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his efforts to hold the two international conferences, affirming that Lebanon “is moving forward with economic and financial reforms based on a firm national conviction, and not only in response to the international community demands.”
Aoun noted that holding two conferences to support the army and reconstruction is a vital step, because it establishes the appropriate security environment for economic recovery.
He said that “solidarity among the Lebanese is unwavering and that political differences are natural in democratic systems.”
The Lebanese government will finalize the draft law on the fiscal gap this month, to be referred to parliament following the approval of the banking secrecy and banking reorganization laws, Aoun said. The step, he added, paves the way for the economic recovery process.
Le Drian conveyed France’s continued support for Lebanon.
According to the media office of the Presidential Palace, the French envoy briefed Aoun on the outcomes of his calls in Saudi Arabia and commended the steps taken by Lebanon in the Council of Ministers regarding the decision to restrict weapons and assign the army to develop a plan to implement the restriction of weapons.
The French envoy also praised the economic reforms undertaken by Lebanon, which he called “positive signs that enhance the chances of increasing international support for Lebanon.”
During his visit, Le Drian also met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
His talks centered on two main issues: whether conditions are now favorable for a French-led conference in support of Lebanon to move the idea forward from discussion to implementation. The second concerned the renewal of UNIFIL’s mandate, which was approved by the Security Council at the end of last month, with France acting as the council’s “penholder” on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its almost daily attacks on Lebanon. On Wednesday, warplanes launched strikes on the eastern mountain range, targeting areas between Janta and Qousaya near the Syrian border.
Israeli forces also targeted a motorcyclist between the southern towns of Ain Baal and Bazouriye, killing Wassim Saeed Jabai, a resident of Hanawieh originally from Aaitat. Hezbollah later announced his death.
Intense Israeli airstrikes also hit the town of Ansar.
The Israeli army claimed on its official radio that it targeted “a site for the production and storage of strategic weapons for Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon.”
Israeli forces controlling Lebanese border areas blew up a building belonging to a school for people with special needs on the outskirts of Ayta ash-Shaab, a border town.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, who opposes handing over the party’s weapons to the Lebanese army, cited “the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon,” when criticizing the government in a speech on Wednesday.
“How can this government claim to uphold sovereignty and represent the Lebanese people, yet stab the resistance in the back? Why does it seek to abandon Lebanon’s source of strength when it has no alternative means of defense?” he said.
Qassem argued that the US had “abandoned the guarantee it gave concerning Israel’s withdrawal from positions it occupies in the south,” accusing it of seeking to bring Lebanon under control as part of the so-called Greater Israel project.
He said that “the ongoing role of the resistance is in everyone’s interest,” calling for dialogue and consensus: “Let’s engage in dialogue and reach an agreement, don’t let the enemies exploit our divisions,” he concluded.
