BEIRUT, April 16 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Thursday a ceasefire is crucial to opening the door to direct negotiations, as Washington said Israeli and Lebanese leaders would speak later in the day.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun gestures to journalists at the Presidential Palace, in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, May 21, 2025. (Photo: AP)
Aoun made the remarks during a meeting in Beirut with British lawmaker Hamish Falconer, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.
Lebanon seeks to halt escalating hostilities in the south and across the country, Aoun said, with the aim of ending attacks on civilians and stopping the destruction of homes. Any negotiations would be conducted solely by Lebanese authorities as a matter of national sovereignty, the statement added.
Aoun also said an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory was essential to cementing any ceasefire. That would allow the Lebanese Army to redeploy along internationally recognized borders, extend state authority and eliminate any unauthorized armed presence.
Falconer, Britain's parliamentary undersecretary of state for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan, expressed London's support for ceasefire efforts and pledged backing for Lebanese government decisions. He also announced 20.5 million pounds (about 25.5 million U.S. dollars) in humanitarian assistance for people displaced by the conflict.
Israel and Lebanon held their first diplomatic talks since 1993 earlier this week in Washington, with both sides agreeing to launch "direct" negotiations after the meeting. U.S. President Donald Trump said the countries' leaders were expected to speak Thursday.
Israeli Cabinet security member Galia Gamliel later told Israeli Army Radio that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would speak with Aoun on Thursday, echoing Trump's comments. Lebanon has not officially acknowledged that any talks between the two sides will take place Thursday.
In a separate development, an Israeli airstrike hit a vehicle on the road linking Beirut and Damascus on Thursday, killing one person, according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. The strike occurred in the Dahr al-Baidar area east of the capital.
Lebanese sources also reported that an Israeli strike on Thursday severed the last bridge linking south Lebanon with the rest of the country.
The fighting has driven a significant exodus across the border. More than 277,000 people have fled from Lebanon into Syria since early March, the United Nations refugee agency said Wednesday. Of those, about 234,000 were Syrian nationals and roughly 43,000 were Lebanese citizens.
The toll inside Lebanon has been severe. Israeli airstrikes and ground operations, which intensified around March 2, have killed at least 2,167 people and wounded more than 7,061 others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.