Aoun: Direct negotiations with Israel are "critical and detailed"

SadaNews - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun described the negotiations with Israel as "critical and detailed" in statements made on Friday, the day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an agreement for a ceasefire between Israel and "Hezbollah," and that Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet at the White House in the coming days.

Aoun stated in a statement that "direct negotiations are critical and detailed... and the ceasefire is the gateway to proceeding with the negotiations and is an option that receives local and international support," reiterating Lebanon's demand for "confirming the ceasefire, securing the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied southern territories, recovering prisoners, and addressing outstanding border disputes," according to the Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He confirmed that the Lebanese army would play a key role after the withdrawal of Israeli forces in terms of deployment to the international southern borders, ending armed manifestations, and reassuring the southern population.

The agreement, which lasts for ten days, came into effect at midnight on Thursday-Friday. Its text, published by the U.S. State Department, does not include any reference to Israel's withdrawal from the areas it invaded during the war.