Lebanon president, PM discuss readiness for Israel direct talks

Lebanon's president and prime minister discussed on Saturday preparations for the first direct negotiations with Israel in decades, as southerners headed home after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hizbollah war.

In a statement, the office of President Joseph Aoun said he and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam conducted "an assessment of the post-ceasefire phase and the ongoing efforts to consolidate it," and discussed "Lebanese readiness for the anticipated negotiations" with Israel.

Their meeting came a day after a strongly-worded speech to the nation from Aoun stating that the country was entering a new phase to work on "permanent agreements" with Israel and insisting that direct talks were not a "concession" — an apparent rebuttal of Hizbollah criticism.

In a speech addressing the Lebanese people and hinting at Hizbollah group the day after US President Donald Trump announced the truce, Aoun said that his country was no longer "an arena for anyone's wars." "Now, we all stand before a new phase," Aoun said in his first speech to the nation since the truce.

A family reunites, after crossing the bridge linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country, following the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel in Qasmiyeh on Saturday. Reuters

"It is the phase of transition from working on a ceasefire to working on permanent agreements that preserve the rights of our people, the unity of our land, and the sovereignty of our nation." He said the Lebanese government had "reclaimed Lebanon and Lebanon's decision-making power for the first time" in nearly half a century.

Later during the day, President Aoun vowed to prosecute those who targeted French UN peacekeepers, killing one and wounding three. In a statement shared by the presidency, Aoun expressed his condolences to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in a phone call, condemning the incident and vowing that Beirut "will not hesitate to pursue those involved and bring them to justice."

Macron urged Lebanon's leaders to "guarantee the security of UNIFIL soldiers" in calls with the country's president and prime minister, the Elysee Palace said.

Hizbollah and its supporters strongly oppose the negotiations, and have rejected several government decisions over the past year, including Beirut's commitment to disarming the group in 2025.

Addressing Aoun at a press conference in Beirut's southern suburbs, senior Hizbollah official Mahmud Qamati said the president "does not respect" Lebanon. "Defeated, you go to the Israelis and Americans, let's see what you will get out of it."

As the truce entered its second day, displaced people were still flocking to the south, which saw the brunt of the fighting, with roads packed with cars.

Lebanon's military and other local bodies are working to open roads that were blocked due to Israeli strikes.

Displaced people make their way back to their homes after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel. Reuters

In the heavily bombed southern suburbs of Beirut, families came to inspect their homes and grab belongings, though neighbourhoods in the area remained largely empty, according to an AFP correspondent, with people hesitant to return.

Among the residents briefly visiting was Samah Hajoul, who is currently staying in a tent on Beirut's seafront.

"We do not feel safe to return, for fear that something might happen at night and I would not be able to carry my children and flee with them," she told AFP.

She only visited her home, which sustained minor damage, to "bathe the children and get summer clothes" as temperatures started to rise. "We will wait and see what happens during the days of the truce. If the ceasefire is consolidated, we will return to our homes," she added, saying that dozens of families staying in nearby tents were doing the same.

During his meeting with Aoun, Salam expressed hope that "the displaced will be able to return safely to their homes as soon as possible after the ceasefire holds."

He stressed that the government was working to "facilitate this return, especially by repairing the destroyed bridges, opening roads, and providing supplies in the areas where the return will be safe and possible."

Israel's military said on Saturday it had established a "Yellow Line" demarcation in southern Lebanon, similar to one separating its forces from Hamas-held areas in Gaza, adding it had hit a "terrorist cell" operating near its troops along the line.

"Over the past 24 hours, IDF forces operating south of the Yellow Line in southern Lebanon identified terrorists who violated the ceasefire understandings and approached the forces from north of the Yellow Line in a manner that posed an immediate threat," it said, referring to such a line for the first time since a ceasefire came into effect.

Agence France-Presse