Meeting at the Vatican between President Joseph Aoun (left) and Pope Leo XIV, Aug. 20, 2026. (Credit: X/@LBPresidency)
BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun urged Pope Leo XIV on Thursday to support Lebanon’s demands for an end to Israeli attacks and a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
During a roughly 30-minute meeting at the Vatican, Aoun thanked the pope for his support and asked him to push Israel to “immediately stop its attacks” on villages, infrastructure and civilians in the south, and to withdraw from occupied Lebanese territory.
Aoun also called on the pope to raise Lebanon’s demands in “all international forums,” including the implementation of the framework agreement signed in Washington on June 26. He said a full Israeli withdrawal was necessary for reconstruction and the return of displaced people.
He also stressed the need to extend state authority across Lebanon and ensure that the state has the sole authority to decide on war and peace, a policy adopted by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government that includes Hezbollah’s disarmament.
Aoun presented the pope with a bust containing relics of late Patriarch Elias Hayek, who was recently beatified.
During his visit to Rome, Aoun is also scheduled to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to discuss the future of UNIFIL, whose mandate expires at the end of 2026.
The visit comes amid renewed tensions in south Lebanon. Progress on the “pilot zones” agreed under the June framework has stalled following a lack of progress in talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv. Lebanon is calling for a full ceasefire and an end to Israeli demolitions and earth-moving operations, while the two sides have yet to agree on the makeup of an international force to oversee Hezbollah’s disarmament.
