Lebanon's top leader vows his country will not be a pawn again

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun delivers a televised speech from the Baabda Presidential Palace, east of the capital Beirut, on April 17, 2026 [AFP]

JAKARTA - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has insisted that his country is no longer a "battleground for anyone", and that the ceasefire with Israel must lead to the drafting of a permanent agreement rather than just a sweetener.

"In his televised address to the Lebanese public on Friday, he said that Lebanon is no longer a pawn in anyone's game, or anyone's war arena, and we will never be again".

His speech came a day after a 10-day ceasefire was announced between Lebanon and Israel, bringing relief from the Israeli offensive that began on March 2, after Hezbollah fired on Israel, and has left more than 2,200 people dead and more than a million displaced.

Aoun said they were entering a transition phase "from seeking a ceasefire to seeking a permanent agreement that preserves the rights of our people, the unity of our land, and the sovereignty of our nation."

He thanked those he said helped end the hostilities, naming US President Donald Trump and "all our Arab brothers, especially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia".

Aoun promised that any deal reached would not violate the country's rights or give up its land, and that the negotiations were not a weakness or a concession.

The ceasefire was announced days after Lebanon and Israel held their first direct talks in decades in Washington, which drew criticism from Lebanese residents.

"Our goal is clear and stated: to stop the Israeli aggression against our land and our people, to get Israel's withdrawal, to expand the state's authority over all its land by its own forces, to ensure the return of prisoners, and to allow our families to return to their homes and villages, safely, freely and with dignity," the president said.