Lebanon’s president calls for ceasefire talks with Israel, vows Hezbollah disarmament

Lebanon is calling for direct negotiations with Israel and an immediate ceasefire to “halt to all Israeli land, air, and sea aggressions against Lebanon,” the country’s president said in a statement Monday.

Joseph Aoun, Lebanese president, also called for further logistical support for the country’s armed forces, in order to bolster their aim of disarming the militant group Hezbollah.

“And simultaneously, Lebanon and Israel [to] begin direct negotiations under international sponsorship, in order to execute the aforementioned plan,” Aoun said in the statement.

Referring to Hezbollah’s initial rocket attacks, the Lebanese presidency added: “Whoever fired the rockets wished to purchase the collapse of the Lebanese, under an assault and chaos, even if that comes at the cost of the destruction of scores of our villages and the fall of hundreds of thousands of our people, all for the sake of the Iranian regime’s calculations.”

Those comments mark one of the most robust and sweeping indictments of Hezbollah by a Lebanese leader to date.

At least 394 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel began strikes on the country earlier this week, according to the Lebanese health ministry. Israel says it is launching attacks on its northern neighbor to eradicate Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.