Lebanon does not want war with Israel, says president

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Friday told a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) delegation his country does not want war with Israel, days after civilian representatives from both sides held their first talks in decades.

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Hizbollah chief Naim Qassem, whose group refuses to disarm, on Friday backed Lebanon's pursuit of diplomacy but called the inclusion of a civilian representative in talks with Israel a “misstep.”

During Aoun’s meeting with UNSC ambassadors, the president said the Lebanese “do not want war again, the Lebanese people have suffered enough and there will be no going back," according to a presidency statement.

Aoun called on the envoys to support the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm non-state groups.

The army expects to complete the first phase of its government-approved plan by the end of the year.

“The Lebanese army will play its full role. The international community must support and assist it,” Aoun said.

He added there was “no going back" on the decision, “even if it requires some time, because the Lebanese are tired of military confrontations.”

On Wednesday, civilian representatives from Lebanon and Israel joined the meetings of a committee tasked with monitoring the ceasefire, a move Aoun has said was to avoid a second war on Lebanon.