Israel continues to violate the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon in November 2024 by attacking Hezbollah members and targets. It has intensified its attacks in recent weeks in what is seen as military and political pressure to get Lebanon to engage in direct negotiations with it.
It also recently accused President Joseph Aoun of not exerting enough efforts to disarm Hezbollah despite a government decision earlier this year to impose state monopoly over arms.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Sunday that Hezbollah was seeking to rearm and that Israel would exercise its right to self-defense under last year's ceasefire accord if Lebanon failed to disarm the group.
Lebanon can no longer tolerate delays in disarming the Iran-backed party, which refuses to lay down its weapons.
The refusal is delaying Lebanon’s economic and financial recovery as Arab and western countries oppose Hezbollah’s continued possession of weapons, a prominent ministerial source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Stalling over this issue will not do Lebanon any favors, warned the source. This message was conveyed to Beirut by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad who were in Lebanon last week.
Rashad, who met with Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, expressed Egypt’s readiness to help Lebanon through its international and Arab connections.
He advised Lebanon to encourage US President Donald Trump to step in and pressure Israel to pull out from Lebanese territories it is occupying in the South, the same way he intervened to end the war on Gaza.
Egypt wants to be a partner in reaching a solution, he stressed according to a political source.
Asharq Al-Awsat learned that he discussed with Lebanese leaders a number of proposals to encourage Trump to personally intervene in Lebanon because time is not on its side.
Details of the talks were not revealed to the media but conveyed to General Security chief Hassan Choucair and head of military intelligence Tony Kahwaji.
Rashad had recently met with Netanyahu to discuss regional issues, including the situation in southern Lebanon, while a Lebanese-Egyptian meeting is also being planned.
