Lebanese president meets UN delegation in Beirut

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun met on Friday with a visiting delegation of UN Security Council ambassadors, urging them to press Israel to enforce the ceasefire and comply with international resolutions, the country's presidency said.

The delegation expressed support for Lebanon's stability through the implementation of UN resolutions and conveyed their countries' readiness to assist in strengthening the Lebanese army, including its full deployment in southern Lebanon and the principle of arms being held exclusively by the state.

The Lebanese government on Aug. 5 approved a plan, based on a draft proposal presented by US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, to place all weapons -- including those held by Hezbollah -- under state control and tasked the army with implementing the plan before the end of 2025.

Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected the move and insists that Israeli forces must fully withdraw from Lebanese territory before laying down arms.

The delegation also welcomed Lebanon's inclusion of a civil official to the Mechanism Committee.

The mechanism was established under the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel on Nov. 27, 2024, and is tasked with monitoring the ceasefire and includes Lebanon, France, Israel, the US, and the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Aoun thanked the envoys for their support and reaffirmed Lebanon's commitment to implementing international resolutions. He called for expanded assistance to enable the Lebanese army to complete its mission, noting ongoing cooperation with UNIFIL and coordination through the mechanism framework.

However, Aoun told the delegation that achieving stability requires pressure on Israel to apply a ceasefire and to withdraw, saying Lebanon "looks forward" to international engagement to secure Israeli compliance.

The representatives began their visit to Lebanon earlier in the day after arriving from Syria and are scheduled to meet with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Lebanese army commander Rudolf Heikal, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

On Wednesday, a rare meeting brought together civilian-led Israeli and Lebanese delegations with the ceasefire monitoring mechanism in Naqoura in southern Lebanon.

Former Lebanese ambassador to Washington, Simon Karam, and senior director for foreign policy of Israel's National Security Council, Uri Resnick, joined the meeting chaired by US Special Envoy to Lebanon Morgan Ortagus as civilian participants, according to the US Embassy in Lebanon.

Aoun said the civilian-led meetings with Israel will resume on Dec. 19 for implementing a ceasefire agreement between the two countries.

A ceasefire was reached between Tel Aviv and Beirut last year, after more than a year of attacks against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip. More than 4,000 people were killed and 17,000 injured.

At least 335 people have been killed and 973 others wounded in 1,038 Israeli attacks since the ceasefire agreement came into effect in November 2024, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry.

The Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January under the ceasefire, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.