This handout photograph released by the Lebanese Presidency Press Office shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) meeting with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres (L) at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, on March 13, 2026. (Credit: Lebanese Presidency Press Office / AFP)
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said he has "not received a response" to his proposal for direct negotiations with Israel under international sponsorship to end the war with Hezbollah.
"I expressed my willingness to negotiate" with Israel, "but so far we have not received any response from the other party," the Lebanese leader told United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his visit to Beirut, according to a post on the Lebanese presidency's X account. "We hope for the support of the international community for Lebanon during this sensitive period," the Lebanese president added.
Aoun had proposed on Monday "that Lebanon and Israel begin direct negotiations under international sponsorship." He had also called for a "truce" with Israel, followed by logistical support to the Lebanese army so it could deploy in the conflict zones and "disarm Hezbollah."
Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, threatened on Friday to make Lebanon "pay a price" in increasing destruction, "until it fulfills its central commitment to disarm" Hezbollah.
