Lebanese President Joseph Aoun affirmed his country's adherence to its full sovereignty in the ongoing negotiations to reach a settlement, stressing that Lebanon is following a completely independent path that is not linked to any external understandings.
Aoun said in an official statement that Lebanon welcomes any international effort aimed at stabilizing the ceasefire, including Iranian initiatives, but stressed that such support must come within respect for the Lebanese decision.
He explained that the ongoing negotiations with the Israeli side, under the auspices of the United States, are a purely Lebanese affair and have nothing to do with the recent understandings between Washington and Tehran, stressing that the Lebanese state alone is the decision-maker. He added, "No one is taking the place of the Lebanese state, and any settlement will be made through us and not at our expense."
This position comes days after sharp statements made by Aoun to Tehran, in which he accused it of trying to use the Lebanese file as a pressure card in its regional and international talks, in what observers considered a clear political message confirming Beirut's adherence to the independence of its decision and its negotiating track.
Naim Qassem: There are no safe zones for the occupation in Lebanon
Hizbullah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that the ceiling of negotiations with the occupation "is mutual security, and that any disarmament project will not pass."
In a speech on Wednesday, June 17, he explained that "there are no yellow or red zones, and the occupation must leave," calling on the Lebanese authorities to "stabilize Lebanon's demands from the occupation, without linking them to any internal issues," adding: "There are no experimental areas, and no safe zones for the occupation inside Lebanon."
He said that the resistance in Lebanon is facing the aggression of the occupation, and the indications are that it wants Lebanon to be helpless in order to occupy it.
He stressed that the occupation project is to completely end Hezbollah, which means the annihilation and deportation of a large segment of the Lebanese, and continued: "Hezbollah did not enable Israel to achieve the project of Greater Israel, and it was broken, and if it were not for the steadfastness of the resistance and its people, Lebanon would not have been saved."
Qassem expressed his thanks to Iran for linking Lebanon's arena and forcing the occupation to stop the aggression, and said that their goal was to overthrow the Iranian regime, but "the project failed and broke," and Iran has become a significant power and has its say in the region and the world, and the balance of power will change, according to him.
Tripartite Agreement of Intent Map
During the fourth round of negotiations in Washington on June 2 and 3, 2026, the Lebanese and Israeli delegations reached the formula of a tripartite agreement of intent under the auspices of the United States, which constitutes a preliminary declaration to arrange the situation on the ground south of the Litani River, in preparation for a comprehensive peace and security agreement at a later stage.
The agreement included a mutual commitment to a complete cross-border ceasefire, with the final consolidation linked to a ceasefire from Hezbollah , the evacuation of all Hezbollah elements and equipment from southern Litani, the establishment of the exclusive arms control of the Lebanese state, and the prohibition of any non-state armed groups from restructuring or arming them.
The two sides agreed to establish pilot zones in the south to test the de-escalation measures, in which the Lebanese Armed Forces alone would assume security and administrative control, with the initial deployment to begin in the towns of Eastern and Western Zutern, Yahmar and Qalaat al-Shaqif near Nabatieh, with the presence of any armed force other than the Lebanese army and UNIFIL prohibited.
The agreement affirmed that the future of relations and security arrangements between Lebanon and Israel is determined exclusively by the two sovereign governments, with an agreement to resume new rounds of negotiations for the political and security tracks starting the week of June 22 to formulate the final arrangements.
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