Geagea says Aoun and Netanyahu should meet even before a deal between the two countries

BEIRUT — The leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, said he believes it is "necessary" for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with the goal of not just agreeing to a truce, but a "end to the state of war" between the two countries, given that there is currently no guarantee that the parallel ceasefires arranged between Iran and the United States, as well as between Hezbollah and Israel, will lead to peace agreements or be renewed.

The leader of the Christian opposition party, who is staunchly opposed to Hezbollah, was speaking during an interview with Hadley Gamble, which was picked up by several local and regional media outlets. When the American journalist asked if he thought it was premature for the two senior officials to meet before reaching a deal to end hostilities for good, Geagea replied: "I don't see it that way. That would lead nowhere and we could potentially remain stuck in this situation for decades."

'We have had enough of cease-fires and armistices'

"So is it crucial that they meet now?" the journalist continued, to which the LF leader responded: "Yes, of course." He added: "We're no longer in the 1980s, when [Hafez] al-Assad was in power and [Ayatollah Ruhollah] Khomeini had prevailed in Iran. The political configuration was different then." At that time, Hezbollah was just emerging and Israel was occupying southern Lebanon after an offensive that drove its troops to Beirut, ostensibly to expel the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which was operating from Lebanon.

Asked about the prospect of normalization between Israel and Lebanon, Geagea replied that he "did not know" if it was achievable. "I'll leave that to the future. But for now, yes, we need the Lebanese president to speak with the Israelis to try to end the situation. Not for a cease-fire. We've had enough of cease-fires and armistices. We need an end to the state of war." "We have to do whatever it takes to save our country, and we have no other solution. If someone has an alternative roadmap, let them bring it forward," Geagea continued.

Negotiations are necessary

He also argued that "the president and Prime Minister [Nawaf Salam] are engaging in these negotiations out of necessity," for lack of any solution. "These are necessary negotiations, and Hezbollah is responsible for pushing the Lebanese government to the negotiating table," he said. He also dismissed fears of imminent sectarian violence in Lebanon, while emphasizing that a collapse of the state, similar to the beginning of the civil war in 1975, could change things dramatically. The opposition leader accused Hezbollah of dragging Lebanon into war twice since 2023, but Hezbollah argues that Israel planned to attack Lebanon to reclaim areas in southern Lebanon from which it had been expelled in 2000. In 2023, the party, then led by former Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, opened a front in support of Hamas after the outbreak of Israel's war on Gaza. Over a year later, following 66 days of fighting, a truce was reached between Israel and Hezbollah before the war escalated again on March 2.

Geagea finally argued that the Lebanese government has tried to assert its authority over the group but lacks the means to enforce it. "It's Hezbollah that sets the rules... unfortunately," he added. "The state within the state" has been operating for 40 years, creating institutional paralysis and a climate of fear, which he described as a "deep state." "The government has issued numerous decrees aimed at dismantling Hezbollah," he said. He denied that the government had failed, instead claiming that Hezbollah "did not comply with the government's decrees."

Last Friday, Joseph Aoun made a national address, reiterating his commitment to negotiations to save the country and free it from all foreign influence, a reference to Iran, though without naming it. U.S. President Donald Trump has previously spoken of his wish to organize a meeting between Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but no decision has yet been made regarding the next round of negotiations.

The president had refused the day before to meet directly with Benjamin Netanyahu before the scheduled truce was set to take effect at midnight between the two countries, a cease-fire which was already violated following new strikes by the Israeli army in South Lebanon.

Aoun's openness to direct negotiations with Israel triggered the wrath of Hezbollah. Over the weekend, a Hezbollah official, Nawaf Moussawi, on Saturday compared Aoun to Anwar Sadat, the former Egyptian president who was assassinated three years after signing a peace agreement with Israel in 1978, and said that if Aoun "submits to Donald Trump and meets Netanyahu, he would lose his status as president of the country." These comments led to a wave of condemnation from Hezbollah's opponents.

Geagea estime que Aoun et Netanyahu doivent se rencontrer même avant un accord entre les deux pays