Lebanon's president says negotiations with Israel needed as war led to
no positive results
[October 14, 2025]
By BASSEM MROUE
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s president said Monday that his country and
Israel should negotiate to solve pending problems between them since war
didn't lead to any positive results.
The comments by President Joseph Aoun came after U.S. counterpart Donald
Trump brokered a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in the more
than two-year war, which started when the Palestinian militant group led
an attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and
taking 251 hostage.
A day after the Israel-Hamas war began, Lebanon’s Hezbollah started
attacking Israeli military posts along the border in what it called a
“backup front” for Gaza. The Israel-Hezbollah conflict intensified into
full-blown fighting nearly a year later, during which the Lebanese group
suffered heavy losses and many of its political and military commanders
were killed.
Since the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war ended with a U.S.-brokered
ceasefire in November, Israel has carried out almost daily airstrikes on
Lebanon that left scores of people dead, many of them civilians.
“Lebanon negotiated in the past with Israel with mediation by the United
States and the United Nations,” Aoun said, adding that these talks led
to the 2022 agreement between the two countries over their maritime
border.
“What prevents repeating the same thing to find solutions to pending
matters especially that war did not lead to results?” Aoun asked. He
said that the atmosphere in the Middle East is that of deals and
agreements, and that how the negotiations will take place can be decided
at the time.
“Conditions are moving toward negotiations to achieve peace and
stability,” Aoun said. "Therefore we say that through dialogue and
negotiations solutions can be reached.”
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Hezbollah's al-Mahdi Scouts hold pictures of Hezbollah's former
leader Hassan Nasrallah and his cousin and successor Hashem
Safieddine, to marking the first anniversary of their assassination,
who were killed in Israeli airstrikes, at Sports City Stadium in
Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
“We cannot be outside the ongoing track in the region,” Aoun said in
comments while meeting a group of Lebanese business journalists.
Speaking at Israel’s parliament on Monday, Trump told Israeli
lawmakers that their country had no more to achieve on the
battlefield and must work toward peace in the Middle East after more
than two years of war against Hamas and skirmishes with Hezbollah
and Iran.
In August, the Lebanese government made a decision to disarm
Hezbollah by the end of the year, but officials later said that
resources were too limited to meet the deadline. The current aim is
to fully clear a stretch along the Lebanon-Israel border, defined as
south of the Litani River, by the end of November before moving into
further phases.
Hezbollah has rejected the plan, saying it won’t discuss disarmament
as long as Israel continues to occupy several hills along the border
and carries out almost daily strikes.
Trump praised Aoun in his speech in Jerusalem, saying his
administration is helping the Lebanese leader “to permanently disarm
Hezbollah’s terror brigades. He’s doing very well.”
“The dagger of Hezbollah, long aimed at Israel’s throat, has been
totally shattered,” Trump said.
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