Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday assured a visiting United Nations Security Council delegation that Lebanon does not seek a new conflict with Israel, days after civilian representatives from both sides participated in rare ceasefire monitoring talks.
“We do not want war again — the Lebanese people have suffered enough and there will be no going back,” Aoun told the ambassadors, according to a statement from the presidency. He urged the international community to support the Lebanese army’s mandate to disarm non-state groups, saying the military is expected to complete the first phase of its government-approved plan by year’s end.
Despite a November 2024 ceasefire aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel has continued airstrikes in southern Lebanon and maintains troops in five border areas it considers strategically vital.
Wednesday’s meeting marked the first time civilian envoys from Lebanon and Israel joined the ceasefire monitoring committee. Aoun defended the move as an effort to avert another war, but it drew sharp criticism from Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem.
In a televised address, Qassem said Hezbollah supports diplomatic efforts to end Israeli “aggression,” but called the inclusion of a civilian representative “a misstep” and condemned the government’s decision to task the army with disarming Hezbollah. “This concession will not change the enemy’s position,” he said, urging authorities to reverse course.
Aoun called on the Security Council to press Israel to uphold the ceasefire and withdraw from Lebanese territory. He warned that the success of current talks “depends primarily on Israel’s position,” noting that progress or failure hinges on Israeli cooperation.
The ceasefire committee is scheduled to resume discussions on December 19, again with civilian participation.
During their visit, UN envoys also met officials in Damascus and are set to tour Lebanon’s southern frontier alongside U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, told the delegation that “negotiating under fire is unacceptable,” and reiterated that stability requires Israel’s full compliance with UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war.
UN peacekeepers reported that Israeli strikes on Thursday targeted four towns in southern Lebanon, describing them as “clear violations” of Resolution 1701. They also said their vehicles came under fire from unidentified gunmen near Bint Jbeil, though no personnel were injured.
Hezbollah, which refuses to disarm, has not responded militarily to recent Israeli attacks but has vowed retaliation for last month’s assassination of its military chief in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
