Joseph Aoun

Sharaa’s Israel comments signal shift toward security arrangements, not peace deals - analysis

Syria and Lebanon are signaling interest in security arrangements with Israel before full peace agreements, suggesting a slower, more cautious path toward regional stability.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa listens to French President during a joint press conference after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025.
LEBANESE TROOPS deploy in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh in the Nabatieh region after the IDF withdrew from the area earlier this week.

'Land for arms': Can Israel finally make a peace deal with Lebanon work?

 U.S. President Donald Trump (L) greets President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun as he arrives at the White House on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Historic Trump-Aoun meeting showcases White House's new Middle East priorities - analysis

Middle East Airlines aircraft sit on the tarmac at Beirut's Rafik Hariri airport on April 10, 2026.

Trump directs lifting of US flight ban to Lebanon after high-level meeting with Joseph Aoun


US envoy says Israel should 'comply' with Lebanon plan to disarm terrorist groups

Under phase 1 of the plan, the Lebanese government would issue a decision committing to Hezbollah's disarmament by the end of the year, and Israel would cease military operations in Lebanon.

 U.S. envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack stands at U.S. ambassador's residency in Damascus, Syria May 29, 2025.

Israel Katz says Lebanon's Aoun responsible for Hezbollah violations after IDF strike

The IDF said it struck on Friday evening an active Hezbollah military outpost, as well as underground infrastructure, in southern Lebanon's Beaufort Ridge.

Defense Minister Israel Katz on a tour in the Gaza Strip, August 5, 2025.

Hezbollah chief warns Lebanon: 'No life' if government confronts terror group

This comes after President Joseph Aoun told a senior Iranian official on Tuesday that no group in Lebanon is permitted to bear arms or rely on foreign backing.

Hezbollah's then-deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem seen in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, August 2, 2024