The Lebanese Forces MP Melhem Riachi, on April 28, 2026, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda. (Photo taken from the X account of the presidency)
BEIRUT — Mandated by the leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, MP Melhem Riachi met Tuesday with President Joseph Aoun. On this occasion, he affirmed "the unwavering support" of his party for the president, and strongly encouraged him to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
"We fully share the same point of view on the current situation and have expressed our unwavering support for the president's initiatives and actions. We encourage him to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump," Riachi told the press.
According to information from L'Orient-Le Jour, the U.S. president is pressuring Joseph Aoun to agree to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or risk a major Israeli military escalation with Washington's approval. However, Beirut is seeking to avoid such a face-to-face meeting, preferring instead to first reach an agreement through a negotiation process.
"If other meetings are to take place, they should be held at the appropriate time, and not now. They should happen after concrete results are achieved, not at the beginning of the process, but at the end. We do not oppose any measure that will save Lebanon and its people, especially our fellow citizens in the South," Riachi said.
Lebanon has taken part in two preliminary direct meetings with Israel while direct negotiations under Washington's auspices are pending, which allowed the cease-fire with the Hebrew state to be extended by three weeks, after more than a month and a half of conflict with Hezbollah.
Riachi finally indicated, following his meeting with the president, that the United States was adopting "a fully positive attitude" regarding the Lebanese situation. "They are in favor of negotiations and a swift resolution of the crisis in South Lebanon by appropriate means," he said, emphasizing that the priority remains "a cease-fire, the establishment of peace in the South, and the continuation of negotiations." The Lebanese Forces, he concluded, are working to "unblock discussions and find common ground among the various parties."
