No-one in Lebanon wants normal ties with Israel, PM Nawaf Salam says

Prime Minister reaffirms Lebanese rejection of establishing diplomatic relations, as French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian starts two-day visit to Beirut

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, right, meets French special envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian at the government palace in Beirut on Wednesday. EPA

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has reaffirmed that no one in the country wants to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, after senior officials in Beirut accused Israeli authorities of seeking to do so.

Israeli troops continue to occupy five locations on the border with Lebanon, having invaded the south of the country last year in what it said was an attempt to counter the threat of powerful Lebanese group Hezbollah.

The Israeli military was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon on January 26 in a ceasefire deal agreed with Hezbollah in November.

Mr Salam said the five areas held "no military or security value" for Israel, "other than maintaining its pressure on Lebanon".

"No one in Lebanon wants normalisation with Israel and it is rejected by all Lebanese," he said on Wednesday.

Israel has continued to bomb south Lebanon repeatedly, despite the truce agreement. More than 4,000 people were killed last year in Israeli attacks on the country, Lebanese health officials say.

Mr Salam said the situation remained concerning but Beirut had "not exhausted all means of political and diplomatic pressure".

According to Israeli media, unnamed Israeli officials have signalled an interest in establishing relations with Lebanon with the support of the new US administration of President Donald Trump.

Lebanon and Israel technically are in a state of war. It is a serious crime for Lebanese people to communicate with anyone in Israel, or enter the country.

While Hezbollah remains a deeply divisive issue in Lebanon, most Lebanese are united in their stance against Israel and its actions.

Comment: Why any plans on Israel’s part to normalise relations with Lebanon would be a no go

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri this week said “Israel intends to draw us into political negotiations leading to the normalisation of relations between the two countries, but this is out of question for us".

It came as French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian has arrived in Beirut as Lebanon continues to grapple with instability on its borders with Israel and Syria.

He visited President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, and met Mr Salam later on Wednesday. The latter said Mr Le Drian's visit was focused on reconstruction efforts.

A major talking point will be the reconstruction of the parts of Lebanon particularly hard hit by the war between Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and Israel. Israeli forces continue to bomb the south of the country regularly, with a spike at the weekend, after three rockets were launched at Israel.

Last October, a Paris conference raised $1 billion for humanitarian aid and security in Lebanon, and in the coming months France aims to raise more for the rebuilding effort. The World Bank has estimated that the short-to-medium term costs of recovery and reconstruction stand at $11 billion.

Mr Aoun is expected to visit France this weekend in one his first official overseas trips since becoming President in January. Mr Le Drian was among guests when Mr Aoun was sworn in at the Lebanese Parliament.

Unifil Peacekeepers monitor precarious ceasefire in south Lebanon

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Former colonial power France was a major player in unblocking the impasse that had led to two years of a caretaker government and institutional paralysis in Lebanon. Mr Aoun's election, the naming of Mr Salam as Prime Minister and the formation of a cabinet happened soon after. In a show of support, French President Emmanuel Macron came to Lebanon in January.

Hezbollah has been heavily damaged by Israel's war, but remains a potent threat. In the wake of a tenuous ceasefire agreed in November and the elections of Mr Aoun and Mr Salam, there has been hope that Lebanon can chart a new path, having suffered myriad crises in recent years.

A financial crisis that became fully apparent in 2019 was exacerbated by the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed at least 218 people and devastated a wide area.

Exclusive: Israel intensifies pressure on Lebanon through ceasefire violations

EPA