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As talks begin, Lebanon’s president says Beirut will accept ‘nothing less’ than IDF withdrawal

23 June 2026 18:46 (UTC +04:00)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejects Israel’s presence in south Lebanon and other foreign interference — an allusion to Iran — as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks begins in Washington, The Times of Israel reports.

“We accept nothing less than an end to the Israeli occupation and at the same time, the fall of foreign tutelage, because our only option is our national sovereignty and our sole wager is on the Lebanese state,” Aoun says, according to his office.

He also expresses hope that the new round of talks will be “decisive along the path of achieving what we seek for the good of our nation and people,” namely “the full restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty over every grain of its soil.”

Ilgar Khudiyev

Lebanon Joseph Aoun Lebanese President Israel South Lebanon Israel-Lebanon talks Washington Lebanese sovereignty foreign interference Iran Middle East diplomacy negotiations Israeli occupation national sovereignty Lebanese state territorial integrity Washington talks The Times of Israel regional security Lebanon-Israel relations