Aoun Hints at Lebanese 'Options' if Israel Refuses to Resume Border Demarcation Negotiations

 President Michel Aoun meets with the US mediator of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the Lebanese southern maritime borders, Ambassador John Desrocher. (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with the US mediator of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the Lebanese southern maritime borders, Ambassador John Desrocher. (NNA)
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Aoun Hints at Lebanese 'Options' if Israel Refuses to Resume Border Demarcation Negotiations

 President Michel Aoun meets with the US mediator of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the Lebanese southern maritime borders, Ambassador John Desrocher. (NNA)
President Michel Aoun meets with the US mediator of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the Lebanese southern maritime borders, Ambassador John Desrocher. (NNA)

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun hinted at “many options” for Lebanon, if the Israelis did not respond to efforts to revive the negotiations to demarcate the maritime borders, asking the US mediator to “push towards fair and honest talks without preconditions.”

Held under the auspices and supervision of the United Nations, the indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel were suspended in May, following a fifth session held after a US intervention. But the discussions clashed with Israeli preconditions that toppled the sixth session, which was supposed to take place on May 5.

On Monday, Aoun met with the US mediator of indirect negotiations for the demarcation of the Lebanese southern maritime borders, Ambassador John Desrocher, who arrived in Beirut before a visit to Tel Aviv.

The Lebanese president stressed his country’s keenness to continue the indirect negotiations in Naqoura with US mediation, in order to reach an understanding that preserves the rights of the two sides based on international laws.

Aoun also asked Desrocher to push towards fair and impartial negotiations, without preconditions. He expressed hope that the US ambassador’s efforts would yield positive results, taking into account the new government change in Israel, which would require additional efforts to avoid further delays in the talks.

While he stressed “openness to the proposals presented within the framework of full Lebanese sovereignty on land and at sea,” Aoun noted that Lebanon has “several options in the event that the Israelis did not respond to the efforts made to move negotiations forward.”



Israel Bombs Power Station and Two Ports Controlled by Houthis in Yemen

 Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
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Israel Bombs Power Station and Two Ports Controlled by Houthis in Yemen

 Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)
Black smoke raises following airstrikes on Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. (AP)

Israeli warplanes bombed a power station and two ports in Houthi-controlled Yemen on Friday in retaliation for Houthi drone and missile strikes against Israel, and pro-Houthi media said at least one person had been killed and nine wounded.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Iran-backed Houthi militias were "paying and will continue to pay a heavy price for their aggression against us".

A series of airstrikes targeted the Red Sea port of Ras Issa and six others the major port of Hodeidah, said Al Masirah TV, the main news outlet run by the Houthis, while Harf Sufyan District in Amran province also came under air attack.

An employee at the Ras Issa port was killed and six others were injured, the outlet said.

Earlier, British security firm Ambrey said airstrikes on the Ras Issa port targeted oil storage facilities in the vicinity of shipping berths, though no merchant vessels were reported to have been damaged.

The supply of petroleum derivatives is stable, the Houthi government spokesperson Hashem Sharaf Eddine said after the attack.

Thirteen airstrikes also targeted the Hezyaz central power station in Yemen's capital Sanaa, Al Masirah TV reported. It said three citizens had been injured, including a worker at Hezyaz, and a number of homes had been damaged.

An Israeli military statement confirmed the targets, saying the power station served as a "central source of energy for the Houthi terrorist regime in its military activities". It added that the targets struck were examples of the "Houthis' exploitation of civilian infrastructure".

Within the past 48 hours, the Houthis have fired three drones at Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv and more drones and missiles at the US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said.

The Houthis have targeted Israel, hundreds of kilometers to the north as well as international shipping in waters near Yemen since November 2023 in support of Palestinians at war with Israel in Gaza.

Israel has responded with airstrikes in Houthi-held areas of Yemen, as have British and US forces in the region.

Netanyahu said last month Israel was only at the beginning of its campaign against the Houthis.