US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa reiterated on Monday the importance of President Joseph Aoun visiting the United States, saying it should not be viewed as “defeat”.
He also underlined his efforts to achieve rapprochement between various Lebanese officials, meeting with parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.
Sources close to the presidency told Asharq Al-Awsat that Aoun has not received an invitation to visit the US.
They added that a meeting between Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not on the table at the moment.
They instead said that a third meeting between Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the US is expected to be held in Washington this week.
In Beirut, Issa met with Berri for talks on the developments in Lebanon and the region, said a statement from the speaker’s office. The ambassador left the meeting without making any statement.
After meeting with al-Rahi, Issa said a meeting between Aoun and US President Donald Trump must not be seen as a “defeat” for Lebanon.
He explained that instead, Aoun could visit Washington and clearly present his positions to Trump and even Netanyahu. Trump could be witness to these stances. Afterwards and upon his return to Lebanon, negotiations with Israel can begin.
Asked if Aoun will coordinate his stances with the parliament speaker and prime minister ahead of going to negotiations, Issa said the president will present all of Lebanon’s demands, starting with underlining the importance of Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Moreover, he noted that when Israel says that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, but that it wants peace, that means that Hezbollah no longer has any justification for its existence.
If Israel maintains its presence in Lebanon even after that, then that means it has undisclosed ambitions, he added.
Issa stressed that at the moment, efforts are focused on delivering the message that the US wants to help Lebanon and protect its independence, economy and “dignity”. He revealed that he is working with the American administration to deliver this message to the international community.
Asked about the purpose of his meeting with Berri, Issa said he wanted to learn why the speaker was not meeting with the president and that he wanted to come to the bottom of the differences between them.
He noted that the two leaders were coordinating with each other, but it came to a stop for unknown reasons.
He urged the need for Lebanon’s leaders to communicate with each other regardless of the circumstances.
Qassem
Meanwhile, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem continued to slam officials, accusing the authorities of “reaching an agreement with Israel to confront the resistance [Hezbollah].”
He reiterated the importance of Iran’s role in the Lebanese file, rejecting that negotiations over Lebanon be separated from the negotiations between the US and Iran.
“Is there a country in the world in which the ruling authorities agree with the enemy in confronting the resistance that is fighting occupation?” he wondered.
Lebanon is the victim here and it needs guarantees for its security and sovereignty, he demanded.
On the ground, Qassem said the Lebanese army has deployed south of the Litani River in line with the November 2024 ceasefire, but Hezbollah has since “developed means to adapt” with the changes.
He said the Iran-backed party is relying on guerrilla tactics against Israel to deal it losses and prevent it from consolidating its occupation.
The resistance is firm in its drive to liberate territories and it will not surrender, he declared.
“The solution does not lie in surrender or by making Lebanon a weak and subordinate country,” he added. “The situation demands that the resistance continue and for benefitting from the Iranian-American agreement.”
