Lebanon calls for talks with Israel on plan to end Hezbollah conflict

3 hours agoSamantha GranvilleBeirutReutersIsrael has repeatedly struck Beirut's southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, over the past weekLebanon's president has called for direct negotiations with Israel as part of a proposal to end the escalating conflict with Hezbollah, while sharply criticising the Iran-backed group for dragging the country into a wider regional war.A spokesperson for President Joseph Aoun told the BBC that Lebanon was ready to negotiate, but not while the country remained under Israeli fire.Speaking during a virtual meeting with senior European Union officials on Monday, Aoun outlined what he described as a path towards "permanent security and stability arrangements on our borders".Israeli officials have shown little sign of backing negotiations, and the government did not immediately comment.Under the Lebanese president's four-point plan, a "complete truce" would coincide with the disarmament of Hezbollah, and international assistance for the Lebanese Armed Forces to help them regain control of "areas of tension"."And simultaneously, Lebanon and Israel [to] begin direct negotiations under international sponsorship, in order to execute the aforementioned plan," a statement said.Aoun said the war had taken a devastating toll on Lebanon, with more than 700,000 people displaced, including 200,000 children, and hundreds killed in Israeli strikes over the past nine days, according to the United Nations."Some of them are on the roads. They have no shelter and not even the most basic necessities of life," he said.The president also delivered unusually blunt criticism of Hezbollah, accusing the Shia Muslim militia and political movement of acting against Lebanon's national interests.Referring to Hezbollah as an "armed faction", Aoun said it gave "no weight to Lebanon's interests or to the lives of its people", and wanted the "collapse of the Lebanese state under aggression and chaos".ReutersHezbollah has launched rockets and drones into Israel, most of which have been interceptedThe remarks follow the government's declaration last week that Hezbollah's military operations were illegal, though the state currently lacks the capacity to disarm the group on its own.Last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the Lebanese government directly on X, writing: "It is your responsibility to enforce the ceasefire agreement and it is your responsibility to disarm Hezbollah."Joshua Zarka, Israel's ambassador to France, said on Tuesday that Beirut had not taken meaningful steps toward disarming the group."At this stage, I'm not aware of any decision to enter negotiations to end this war," he said. "What would end it is the disarmament of Hezbollah - and that is a choice for the Lebanese government."Although a ceasefire was agreed to between Israel and Lebanon in November 2024 under US and French mediation, it has largely failed to hold.Israel has continued near-daily strikes in Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of trying to rearm and rebuild its presence.Two days after the start of the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, Hezbollah entered the conflict by firing a number of rockets and drones into northern Israel.The group said it was retaliating for the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the continuing Israeli strikes.But Aoun described it as a deliberate ambush set for Lebanon and its army, designed to draw the Israeli military into another incursion.EPAAbout 700,000 people, including 200,000 children, have been forced to flee their homes in LebanonIsrael said Hezbollah's attack justified launching a broader campaign against the group, including repeated air strikes and commando raids inside Lebanese territory. It has said the campaign will continue until Hezbollah is disarmed.Hezbollah has said it will continue to attack Israel, whatever the cost.At least 486 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since then, according to the Lebanese health ministry.Two Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, according to the Israeli military.For families caught in the crossfire, the escalation has brought renewed fear.Ahmed al-Halabi, a father of two from the Dahieh area of south Beirut, fled with his extended family in the middle of the night as missiles struck nearby."We were running away from the bombing! There's no safety!" he told the BBC. "I have little kids and the living conditions were already bad. You can only imagine how it is during wartime. I just want to keep my kids safe."Ahmed is now living in a school in the centre of the capital that has been turned into a shelter."This is the second time my kids have experienced this and they have developed psychological trauma. The adults can live with this. The kids cannot."