The Lebanese president Joseph Aoun and the Emirati president, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on April 30, 2025, in the Emirates. (Photo: X/Lebanese presidency)
BEIRUT — The president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, told his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun that Abu Dhabi supports the "measures taken" by Beirut to ensure Lebanon's stability, just days ahead of direct negotiations in Washington between Lebanon and Israel and as the government has pledged to disarm Hezbollah.
During a phone call, Mohammed bin Zayed, known as "MBZ," emphasized that the UAE stands in solidarity with Lebanon and supports "the measures taken by Lebanon to achieve security and stability and to restore its sovereignty over its entire territory," according to a statement issued Saturday by the Lebanese presidency. According to the Emirati news agency WAM, Aoun and MBZ stressed "the importance of promoting the peace process in the region, in the interest of all its peoples, as well as the development and prosperity of its states."
Delegations of Lebanese and Israeli negotiators are set to meet next week in Washington, following two initial meetings at the ambassadorial level on April 14 and 23. The U.S. State Department said Friday that the talks aim to reach an agreement for "peace and prosperity" between the two neighboring countries. The Israeli military has been relentlessly bombing southern Lebanon despite a cease-fire in effect since April 17, while Hezbollah carries out attacks against Israeli forces occupying Lebanese territory in Israel's so-called "buffer zone," and against northern Israel. Abu Dhabi normalized relations with Israel in 2020.
Aoun and MBZ also discussed heightened tensions in the region, against the backdrop of a precarious, indeed virtually non-existent, cease-fire between Iran and the United States, and as the UAE said it had intercepted Iranian attacks during the week — an assertion Tehran denies. Aoun emphasized in this context "the solidarity of the Lebanese people with the brotherly people of the Emirates in these delicate circumstances the region is experiencing," according to the presidency.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that Iran was expected to respond soon to the latest U.S. proposal for regional peace, after clashes in recent days in the Strait of Hormuz.
Rubio condemns Iran's 'outrageous' attacks on Kuwait
