Lebanon seeks peace, not normalization with Israel, says premier

Lebanon is not seeking normalization with Israel but rather aims to achieve peace, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Wednesday.

Speaking to journalists, Salam said talk of any possible meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “premature,” adding that “any high-level meeting with the Israeli side requires major preparations.”

“Lebanon is not seeking normalization with Israel, but rather peace,” Salam said, noting: “This is not the first time Lebanon has engaged in direct negotiations with Israel.”

He added that consolidating the ceasefire “will form the basis for any new round of negotiations that could be held in Washington,” while stressing that current conditions “are still not mature enough to discuss meetings at a high level.”

Salam said Lebanon’s “minimum demand is a timetable for Israel’s withdrawal,” adding that authorities will develop a plan to place weapons exclusively under state control.

Lebanese and Israeli officials held two rounds of talks in Washington on April 14 and April 23 as part of preparations for possible peace negotiations.

Earlier Wednesday, a Lebanese official source told Anadolu that a third round of talks between Beirut and Tel Aviv would be held next week.

Despite a ceasefire announced on April 17 and extended until May 17, the Israeli army continues daily strikes in Lebanon and widespread demolition of homes in dozens of villages, echoing its years-long devastation of Gaza.

Since March 2, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 2,704 people and wounded 8,311 and displaced more than 1.6 million, about one-fifth of the population, according to the latest official figures.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul