Lebanese president reaffirms rejection of Israeli occupation as new talks begin

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday reiterated Lebanon's rejection of the continued Israeli occupation of its territory, stressing that restoring full national sovereignty remains a top priority as a new round of Lebanese-U.S.-Israeli negotiations gets underway in Washington.

"We will accept nothing less than the end of the Israeli occupation and the elimination of all forms of external tutelage, because our only choice is national sovereignty," Aoun said during a meeting with Lebanese Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal and members of the advisory team accompanying the Lebanese delegation participating in talks in Washington.

According to a statement released by Lebanon's presidency, the meeting reviewed the outcomes of the fifth round of negotiations held by the Lebanese diplomatic and military delegation.

The Israeli Embassy in the U.S. confirmed that the new round had commenced, noting that discussions would proceed on both diplomatic and military tracks. Hosted by the United States, the talks are scheduled to run through Thursday.

Also on Tuesday, Aoun received a phone call from U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss the latest developments in Lebanon and the post-Switzerland talks phase.

According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency, Vance and Rubio reaffirmed U.S. support for the efforts of Lebanon's president and government to extend the authority of the legitimate state across all Lebanese territory and strengthen national sovereignty through the Lebanese Army and security forces.

They also stressed Washington's commitment to implementing understandings reached during the Switzerland meetings, including the establishment of a joint mechanism involving the United States, Lebanon and Iran to help consolidate the ceasefire in Lebanon and monitor the implementation of related measures.

Arrangements concerning the mechanism's structure and operational framework are currently under review, they said.

As diplomacy continued, Israeli troops killed two civilians in the Nabatieh area of southern Lebanon on Tuesday.

Hezbollah condemned the attack as a breach of the ceasefire agreement, while Israel has yet to comment.

In a televised address the same day, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem demanded a full, scheduled Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, asserting that once Israeli forces pull out, only the Lebanese Army should be deployed south of the Litani River.

A ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect on June 20. The truce largely held until Tuesday, when two people were killed by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon, prompting accusations of ceasefire violations.

Lebanese president reaffirms rejection of Israeli occupation as new talks begin

China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday emphasized the importance of upholding international rules, saying that the conflict between the United States and Iran, which has lasted for over a hundred days, has severely impacted the regional and international situation.

Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks during the 16th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisors and High Representatives on National Security held in New Delhi, India.

He said that the recent signing of the first phase of the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, along with the conflict, has made many things clear to us.

The first is the importance of upholding international rules, Wang said at Tuesday's conference.

"The settlement of any international and regional hotspot issues should be based on abiding by international rules. The law of the jungle may succeed for a while, but it is not sustainable," he said.

The second is the importance of respecting national sovereignty, Wang said, adding that territorial integrity shall not be violated and a country's internal affairs shall not be interfered with. This is the most basic bottom line of international justice, he noted.

The third point is the importance of establishing a new vision of security, Wang said.

"Countries are increasingly becoming a community with a shared future. The practice of seeking absolute security of oneself at the expense of others will only backfire," he said.

The Chinese top diplomat said that the fourth is to understand the significance of new forms of war. Unconventional warfare, such as information warfare and cyber warfare, has become more visible in recent conflicts. Facing interwoven traditional and non-traditional security threats, it is the right time for BRICS countries to enhance dialogue and cooperation on security affairs.

China's top diplomat stresses int'l rules at BRICS meeting