Aoun: I will not accept a single Israeli remaining on Lebanese territory

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stressed that he “will not accept a single Israeli remaining on Lebanese territory,” expressing his fear that Israel will not completely withdraw from the south of the country today.

Aoun said, during his meeting with a delegation from the Press Editors’ Syndicate: “The Israeli occupation cannot be trusted. We are afraid that a complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow because Lebanon can no longer tolerate a new war.”

“The Lebanese response will be through a unified, comprehensive national position,” he explained, adding that they will work “diplomatically to achieve the full Israeli withdrawal.”

Aoun said, “The army is ready to station in towns and villages that the Israelis will withdraw from” and to “protect the border.”

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He pointed out that “the important thing is to achieve the Israeli withdrawal, and Hezbollah’s weapons come as part of solutions the Lebanese agree on,” stressing that a wrong bullet kills a person, but a wrong word kills a nation. Freedom is a responsibility, and if it is not, it becomes chaos, he explained.

He called for showing responsibility, not stirring up sectarian strife, and not attacking sisterly and friendly countries. If criticism is necessary, let it be constructive, he noted.

The Lebanese president also stressed that he will work with the government to find solutions to put the country on the right track, because reconstruction is conditional on reforms, and there is no room for external assistance without reform. He noted that the reconstruction process will include all the areas that were destroyed, and that they welcome any assistance to remove the effects of the war.