Lebanon was left outside contacts that produced a US-Iran ceasefire deal, despite reports it would be included and moves by Iran and Hezbollah suggesting otherwise.
Hezbollah halted its military operations before the deal was announced early on Wednesday, while Lebanese officials scrambled to contact countries involved in the issue to clarify the situation.
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon would not accept anyone negotiating on its behalf.
President Joseph Aoun welcomed the US-Iran announcement of a 15-day ceasefire and praised efforts by all parties that helped secure the agreement, particularly Pakistan, Egypt, and Türkiye.
He said he hoped it would mark a first step toward a final, comprehensive deal that addresses the drivers of conflict in the region, safeguarding the sovereignty of all states.
Aoun said violence was not an effective means to resolve disputes and that governments should work to ensure a free and dignified life for their people, not push them toward futile and needless death.
He added that the Lebanese state would continue efforts to ensure any regional calm extends to Lebanon on a firm and lasting basis.
Aoun affirmed that the efforts are in line with principles agreed upon by the Lebanese: full sovereignty over all territory, liberation from any occupation, and the exclusive right to wage war, maintain peace, and use legitimate force, resting with constitutional institutions alone.
Responsibility for any negotiations to secure Lebanon’s national interest lies solely with the Lebanese state, he said.
Berri: Lebanon included
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon was covered by the ceasefire agreement with Iran, but said Israel had not complied with it across Lebanon so far, in breach of the deal.
Berri said the agreement clearly included Lebanon and that this was what should be implemented. He said he had contacted the Pakistani side to inform it of Tel Aviv’s failure to abide by the ceasefire and asked it to engage the United States to pressure Israel.
He said he remained in contact with several parties involved and had received assurances that Lebanon was part of the agreement, though he did not rule out that Israel could seek to “undermine this agreement as the party most harmed by it.”
Salam: The state alone negotiates
In his first comment on the ceasefire and the debate over whether Lebanon was included, Salam said: “No one negotiates over Lebanon except the Lebanese state.”
He declined to elaborate on ongoing contacts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, saying only that the state was carrying out its duties and mobilizing all its capabilities to pull the country out of a crisis imposed on it.
“With the announcement of an agreement between the US and Iran, through appreciated Pakistani efforts, we are intensifying our contacts and our political and diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon,” said Salam.
“I also stress that no one negotiates in the name of Lebanon except the Lebanese state, through its constitutional institutions, in a way that safeguards its sovereignty and the interests of its people,” he added.
Foreign Ministry: One voice
For its part, Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the announcement of the two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US as a step toward de-escalation and regional stability, but stressed that no party has the right to negotiate on the country’s behalf.
“Lebanon unequivocally affirms that it speaks with one voice — its own — and that no party has the right to negotiate on its behalf except the Lebanese state,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Any such action constitutes a direct violation of its sovereignty and national decision-making,” it added, noting that Lebanon has previously announced its readiness for direct negotiations with Israel, with civilian participation and under international auspices.
The ministry reiterated that Lebanon’s sovereignty is indivisible and not negotiable, and that its national choices, security, and political future are determined exclusively by its constitutional institutions, free from any external interference.
