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Lebanese President Discusses Israel Truce with Senior US, Qatari Officials

Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)
Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)
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Lebanese President Discusses Israel Truce with Senior US, Qatari Officials

Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)
Israeli military vehicles maneuver on the Lebanese side of the Israel-Lebanon border, as seen from the Upper Galilee, in northern Israel, 21 June 2026. (EPA)

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and US Vice President JD Vance discussed a de-confliction mechanism for Lebanon on Monday, Aoun's office said, as Vance said the move aimed to prevent spiraling Israel-Hezbollah violence. 

After a first round of US-Iran talks in Switzerland on ending the Middle East war, mediators Pakistan and Qatar said on Monday that Tehran and Washington had agreed to set up a "de-confliction cell" with Lebanon "to ensure the adherence of the termination of military operations" there. 

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which drew Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2 with rocket fire at Israel in support of its backer Iran, has repeatedly threatened to derail regional peace efforts. 

Aoun received a telephone call from Vance, US senior adviser Jared Kushner and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a statement from the Lebanese presidency said. 

They discussed "the issue of consolidating the ceasefire in Lebanon, stopping the Israeli military escalation and steps that should be taken in this regard, including the possibility of forming a cell for this purpose," the statement added. 

Vance later told a press conference in Switzerland that the "de-confliction mechanism" was being set up to ensure "that when things happen, they don't spiral into a broader escalation". 

"We do believe... that we can get to a place where Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty is protected, Israel's security is protected," he said. 

"That's going to require some coordination with the Lebanese armed forces, and also it's going to require the Iranians to rein in Hezbollah," Vance added. 

- 'We negotiate for ourselves' - 

After the talks in Switzerland, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X: "1st real test: Lebanon de-confliction cell." 

The negotiations came after Washington and Tehran last week signed a memorandum of understanding to end the broader Middle East war that includes Lebanon. 

Israeli strikes and clashes with Hezbollah late last week threatened to derail the deal, but fighting in Lebanon has been paused since Saturday evening, after Iran said it had closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz again in response to Israel's attacks. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces would remain in southern Lebanon "as long as necessary", while Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem rejected any Israeli "security zone" inside Lebanon. 

Israel nonetheless said all war-related restrictions in its northern border areas were lifted from Monday morning. 

Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks with Israel in April in Washington, and a fifth round of negotiations is scheduled to begin on Tuesday. 

Lebanese authorities are seeking the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the country and to separate the negotiations from the US-Iran deal. 

"We negotiate for ourselves, and we do not accept any other party doing so for us," Aoun said later Monday. 

"We welcome any assistance that comes from any country to end the war, particularly as the situation in the region is interconnected," he added. 

"But there is a big difference between trying to help us and interfering in our internal affairs," he said, alluding to Iran, which through Hezbollah has long wielded significant political influence in Lebanon. 

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Arab World

French ISIS Suspects Stand Trial in Iraq

During the nearly three-hour session, the judge read the investigation findings, which were also shown on a screen, including the suspects' testimonies (INA)
During the nearly three-hour session, the judge read the investigation findings, which were also shown on a screen, including the suspects' testimonies (INA)
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French ISIS Suspects Stand Trial in Iraq

During the nearly three-hour session, the judge read the investigation findings, which were also shown on a screen, including the suspects' testimonies (INA)
During the nearly three-hour session, the judge read the investigation findings, which were also shown on a screen, including the suspects' testimonies (INA)

Six French nationals went on trial on Sunday, as Iraq moves to prosecute thousands of suspected ISIS members.

Iraq's prisons, already packed with ISIS suspects, have received thousands more detainees transferred since last year from Syria.

The trial of the six French nationals began on Sunday morning.

An AFP correspondent in the courtroom reported that the judge set the next hearing for October 5.

During the nearly three-hour session, the judge read the investigation findings, which were also shown on a screen, including the suspects' testimonies.

The investigation found that they joined ISIS after travelling first to Turkey and then Syria.

The judge then inquired about their legal representation before setting the new hearing date.

The suspects include Charlie Sun, Kamel Ben Mbarak, Najib Megherbi, Mehdi Ismael and Ibrahim Azahaf, who arrived in Syria when he was 14 years old, according to their French lawyers.

Among them was also Noureddine El Mansouri, who was stripped of his French nationality in June 2026, though the decision is still under appeal.

The suspects are part of a group of 47 French citizens transferred from Syria last year.

The larger group includes Adrien Guihal, who claimed responsibility for the 2016 Nice attack for ISIS.

The group swept across Syria and Iraq in 2014, committing massacres and forcing women and girls into sexual slavery.

French lawyers on Thursday urged the repatriation of the French nationals detained in Iraq, warning that they could face the death penalty.

In February, over 5,700 ISIS detainees from more than 60 countries were transferred to Iraq by the United States, after years held in Syrian prisons overseen by Kurdish-led forces.

Among them were at least five French nationals, some of whom were minors when their parents joined ISIS.

Earlier this month, Iraq's judiciary said it had completed their interrogation and that the cases would proceed to trial.

It added that more than 450 Syrians would be released after investigations found no evidence warranting legal action against them.

In April, Iraq handed over two detained foreigners, from Finland and the United States, to their countries after they were cleared of suspicion.

Arab World

Israeli Man Critically Wounded in West Bank Shooting

A member of Israeli forces stands guard during Israeli settlers' weekly tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 19, 2026. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
A member of Israeli forces stands guard during Israeli settlers' weekly tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 19, 2026. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
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Israeli Man Critically Wounded in West Bank Shooting

A member of Israeli forces stands guard during Israeli settlers' weekly tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 19, 2026. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
A member of Israeli forces stands guard during Israeli settlers' weekly tour in Hebron, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, September 19, 2026. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

A 30-year-old Israeli man was critically wounded in a shooting attack in the northern West Bank on Sunday morning, hours before the Yom Kippur holiday, which is widely considered the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

The Israeli military said the attacker opened fire from a vehicle and then fled on foot.

The military set up several roadblocks in the area.

Prior to the attack, Israeli troops carried out a large counterterrorism operation in the northern West Bank town of Al-Mughayyir. Palestinian officials said at least 28 people were detained.

Tensions have surged in the West Bank and extremist Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians have increased exponentially, emboldened by right-wing, ultra-nationalist politicians in Israel's government.

Arab World

US Withdrawal Fears Grip Baghdad

An American helicopter flies near the Harir Air Base in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan (Rudaw file photo)
An American helicopter flies near the Harir Air Base in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan (Rudaw file photo)
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US Withdrawal Fears Grip Baghdad

An American helicopter flies near the Harir Air Base in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan (Rudaw file photo)
An American helicopter flies near the Harir Air Base in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan (Rudaw file photo)

The Sept. 30 withdrawal of US forces will mark Iraq’s shift toward full security self-reliance and remove any justification for armed activity outside state control, the spokesman for the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces said on Saturday.

The transition would “eliminate any justification for operating outside state institutions and give those institutions the security and legitimacy needed to disarm unofficial groups,” Sabah al-Numan told the state news agency.

“The professional performance of the Iraqi armed forces has proven that they are the impenetrable shield protecting political decision-making and the primary guarantor of Iraq’s unity and national stability,” he said.

But the upcoming withdrawal has stirred fears in Baghdad, rattling markets and reviving concerns over the fate of armed factions. Sources close to the government say the warnings circulating publicly are exaggerated.

The Iraqi government and allied political forces are preparing to declare the withdrawal date a “day of Iraqi sovereignty.”

Much of the unease, however, centers on the possible repercussions of bringing weapons under state control — an initiative that Iraqi politicians say may be recast as a “plan to regulate and manage weapons.”

Qasim al-Araji, the prime minister’s national security adviser, said the government would regard anyone who continued to carry weapons illegally after the process was completed as an outlaw.

“Strict measures will be taken against them, potentially including treating them as terrorists,” al-Araji said in televised remarks.

He denied reports that the committee overseeing the process had been given a deadline, saying no timeframe had been set.

Al-Araji said the committee, formed by the Coordination Framework alliance, was working under the prime minister’s direct supervision.

Legal action against those carrying illegal weapons would begin only after the committee had completed its work and arms had been brought fully under state control, he added.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi called Sept. 30 “a sovereign milestone” that would shift Iraq’s relationship with international coalition members toward bilateral ties based on respect for sovereignty and mutual interests.

The government was proceeding with plans to end the coalition’s military mission according to the agreed timetable and mechanisms, al-Aboudi told the state news agency.

“Iraq possesses the constitutional, political and diplomatic tools needed to manage its national security through its institutions and armed forces,” he said.

Al-Shorja wholesale market in central Baghdad, Iraq (Reuters)

Fears of sanctions

Despite repeated government assurances, religious leaders and experts have warned of possible repercussions after the withdrawal.

Abdul Wahab al-Samarrai, imam and preacher of Baghdad’s Abu Hanifa al-Numan Mosque, raised the prospect of economic sanctions resembling those tightened against Iraq in the 1990s.

“We sent a message to our government and its prime minister that this country and its people are a trust for which they are responsible,” al-Samarrai said.

“Honoring that trust requires placing the interests of the country and its people above those of groups and individuals.”

“Some are talking about economic sanctions and recalling the days of the embargo,” he added. “We therefore urge officials not to gamble with the country’s fate or place the wishes of some Iraqis above the interests of everyone.”

Concern has largely focused on whether efforts to bring weapons under state control could falter. Many link the risk of regional isolation or sanctions to failure, while political forces and armed factions have publicly rejected attempts to disarm them.

Sadr al-Din al-Qubanji, the imam and Friday preacher in Najaf, warned that “any political or security unrest in Iraq would trigger a crisis across the entire region and destabilize the global economy.”

“These issues must therefore be addressed rationally,” he said.

Politicians close to the government, however, said the public warnings were exaggerated, including reports that Washington and Baghdad had exchanged messages over possible sanctions.

President Donald Trump, gestures as he greets Iraq's Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House, Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Dollar rises as markets slow

The conflicting messages come as stagnation grips local markets, according to domestic trade organizations.

Eco Iraq, an economic monitoring group, said the dollar had risen to unprecedented levels against the dinar on the parallel market.

“The current increase is not linked to a single factor but is the result of an interplay of economic, financial and psychological factors,” it said in a statement.

The group cited speculation on the parallel market, where traders have capitalized on rising demand for dollars and shrinking supply.

“Fears and speculation related to developments after Sept. 30, discussions surrounding bringing weapons under state control and claims of possible US sanctions are increasing market uncertainty and prompting some traders to raise their demand for dollars,” it said.

The parallel exchange rate has climbed above 162,000 Iraqi dinars per $100 in recent days. Observers said the rise had disrupted trade in goods, compounding repercussions that have persisted for months since the outbreak of the US-Iran conflict.

Traders in Baghdad, Erbil and Basra told Asharq Al-Awsat that buying and selling had fallen to unprecedented levels, forcing some businesses to close until further notice.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi plans to travel to the United States for the United Nations General Assembly after ending a European tour that took him to France and Germany.

His schedule could include a meeting with US President Donald Trump, although authorities in Washington and Baghdad have yet to confirm one.