Lebanon names former envoy to US to head talks with Israel

Lebanon will enter talks with Israel with a single delegation led by Simon Karam, a former ambassador to the US, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Monday.

Talks with Tel Aviv “are separate from any other negotiations,” Aoun said in a statement carried by state-run National News Agency.

The negotiations aim to “stop hostilities, end the Israeli occupation of southern areas, and deploy the army up to the internationally recognized southern borders,” he added.

“Lebanon faces two options: either the continuation of war or negotiation to end this war and achieve sustainable stability,” Aoun stated.

Since March 2, Israel has carried out an offensive in Lebanon that has killed around 2,300 people, wounded more than 7,500 and displaced over 1 million, according to official figures.

US President Donald Trump announced a 10-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon as of midnight Friday.