Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Monday that the Lebanese authorities have informed the American side, “from the very beginning”, that the ceasefire is a necessary first step for any subsequent negotiations with ‘Israel’.
Meeting a delegation from Hasbaya and Arqoub, Aoun said Beirut reiterated this stance during two ambassadorial-level meetings on April 14 and 23, referring to the talks which took place between Lebanon and the Israeli enemy in Washington.
He noted that this stance was also reflected in a US State Department statement following the first meeting, according to a statement by the Lebanese Presidency.
الرئيس جوزاف عون امام وفد من حاصبيا والعرقوب:
— Lebanese Presidency (@LBpresidency) April 27, 2026
– ابلغنا الجانب الاميركي القائم بمساعيه مشكوراً، ومنذ اللحظة الأولى ان وقف إطلاق النار هو خطوة أولى ضرورية لأي مفاوضات لاحقة وهذا ما كررناه في الجلستين اللتين عقدتا على مستوى السفراء في ١٤ و٢٣ نيسان، وهو ما كان قد ورد بشكل واضح في… pic.twitter.com/EsEa93JsWu
According to Aoun, the US State Department statement explicitly stipulates that “Israel will not conduct any offensive military operations against Lebanese targets—civilian, military, or state—across land, sea, or air.”
This constitutes the official Lebanese position “both domestically and in Washington,” the Lebanese president said.
He said that “some rushed to level accusations of treason and surrender even before talks began,” urging critics to “wait for the negotiations to start and judge based on their outcomes.”
Earlier on Monday, Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem said that the negotiations between the Lebanese authorities and the Israeli enemy are entirely irrelevant and of no concern whatsoever, stressing that the resistance group won’t return to pre-March 2 era.
“Against this backdrop of sacrifice, dignity, and the enemy’s defeat, the authorities hastened into a gratuitous and humiliating concession—one that was neither necessary nor justified, and appeared aimed at submission without securing even the slightest return. We categorically reject direct negotiations, and those in power must understand that such steps serve neither Lebanon nor their own interests. What the Israeli-American enemy seeks from them lies beyond their capacity, and what it demands will not be granted,” Sheikh Qassem said.
Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed on Monday that the negotiations between the Lebanese authorities and the Israeli enemy are entirely irrelevant and of no concern whatsoever.
— Al-Manar English (@manarenglish) April 27, 2026
In a statement, Sheikh Qassem affirmed that the resistance group won’t return to… pic.twitter.com/3sC8mYLZ7H
Source: Lebanese Presidency (translated and edited by Al-Manar)