Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged the U.S. administration to put pressure on Israel so as to expedite the withdrawal of its troops from the Lebanese territory.
"The continued occupation undermines the legitimacy of the Lebanese state, prevents the deployment of the [Lebanese] armed forces along the southern border and puts into question the implementation of the framework agreement signed in Washington," Aoun said.
In his view, the withdrawal of Israeli troops is key "to any real tangible progress towards peace and stability." Aoun emphasized the importance of restoring sovereignty and reinforcing governmental institutions.
On June 26, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to Washington, announced that the parties had reached a framework agreement after five rounds of talks. Under the agreement, the Lebanese armed forces will gradually "restore effective sovereign authority over all Lebanese territory." Non-state armed groups are to be disarmed, while their military infrastructures dismantled, which is expected to create conditions for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.
