Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that ensuring a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory remains a national priority, reports Anadolu.

“The path to a full Israeli withdrawal remains an unwavering national demand, a demand that the Lebanese state is working to achieve through negotiations,” Aoun said in a statement broadcast by Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Comments came as Lebanon marked Resistance and Liberation Day, commemorating Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 22 years of occupation.

Aoun said negotiations with Israel “will not be an act of concession or surrender,” but instead represent Lebanon’s attempt to assert its sovereign right to defend its territory through its military and security institutions. the country.

Beirut and Tel Aviv have held three rounds of direct talks brokered by the United States of America since mid-April in an attempt to forge a lasting peace deal.

Despite a cease-fire that took effect on April 17 and was later extended until early July, Israeli military operations have continued in southern Lebanon.

According to Lebanese officials, more than 3,100 people have been killed, more than 9,500 injured and an estimated 1.6 million people have been displaced by Israeli bombings in Lebanon since March 2 during the ongoing conflict involving Israel and Hezbollah.

Source: prizrenpost