Lebanon president says aiming to end hostilities with ‘Israel’ talks

• Aoun appointed former ambassador Simon Karam to lead a delegation to Washington, asserting that Lebanon will no longer be a "pawn" or an "arena" for foreign wars. 
• Despite the 10-day truce currently holding, Hezbollah leadership branded Aoun a "traitor," with supporters taking to the streets and social media to vow they will block any agreement.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday that planned talks with ‘Israel’ aim to end hostilities and the occupation in the south, despite the rejection of negotiations by Hezbollah and its supporters.

"The choice to negotiate aims to stop hostilities, end the Israeli occupation of southern regions and deploy the (Lebanese) army all the way to the internationally recognised southern borders" with ‘Israel’, Aoun said in a statement.

A 10-day ceasefire pausing more than six weeks of war between Hezbollah and ‘Israel’ started on Friday after being announced by US President Donald Trump.

The truce in Lebanon was also one of Iran's conditions for resuming talks with Washington to extend their separate ceasefire and work out the terms of a lasting peace.

Aoun's moves on Monday came after a forceful address to the nation Friday night in which he said "we negotiate for ourselves... we are no longer a pawn in anyone's game, nor an arena for anyone's wars, and we never will be again".

Iran-backed Hezbollah is not part of the talks and its supporters strongly oppose Lebanon-‘Israel’ negotiations.

Lebanon is officially at war with ‘Israel’ and has no diplomatic relations with its southern neighbour.

Aoun faces backlash

On the road to Beirut's international airport, in the southern suburbs where Hezbollah holds sway, AFP images showed fresh graffiti attacking Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Monday following their endorsements of negotiations.

"Joseph is a traitor, Nawaf is a turncoat," one graffiti, the names sprayed over in black, read, in reference to the president and premier.

"Dealing with Israel is forbidden... no to normalisation," another graffiti read.

Senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qamati blasted Aoun on Saturday, saying "defeated, you go to the Israelis and Americans, let's see what you will get out of it".

Hezbollah supporters also heaped scorn on Aoun on social media.

"You're going to hand over the south after two days of negotiations?" one user posted on X, "we won't let you" sign an agreement.

"After all our sacrifices this guy wants to speak for us?," another user, whose profile picture shows Aoun and Salam and reads "they do not represent me," posted on X.

‘Israeli’ attacks killed nearly 2,300 people and forced over a million to flee their homes, Lebanese authorities said, since Hezbollah entered the Middle East war last month.

Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told AFP Monday "the people will not accept that their sacrifices be squandered".

"They offered their sons and shed this blood and they will never accept... that these achievements be compromised".

"Any outcome of direct negotiations cannot imposed on these people who made these sacrifices."

“I am full of hope”

Aoun on Monday named former Lebanese ambassador to Washington Simon Karam to head the negotiations with ‘Israel’.

He said "no one will share this task with Lebanon or take its place," adding that the ‘Israel’-Lebanon talks will be "separate from any other negotiations", in an implicit reference to the US-Iran diplomacy.

"Lebanon is facing two options: either the continuation of the war, with all its humanitarian, social, economic, and sovereign repercussions, or negotiations to put an end to this war and achieve lasting stability," he said.

"I have chosen negotiations, and I am full of hope that we will be able to save Lebanon," Aoun said.