BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon has no plans to have normal relations with Israel at the present time, and Beirut’s main aim is to reach a “state of no war” with its southern neighbor, the country’s president said Friday.

American diplomacy has a unique opportunity to facilitate a lasting peace agreement between Israel and Lebanon, as the recent ceasefire and disarmament of Hezbollah have created a political vacuum that can be leveraged to rebuild the nation and regain full sovereign control.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun urged the Israeli regime to withdraw entirely from the Arab country. Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun says that his country does not seek to normalize relations with the Israeli regime.

Lebanon and Israel signed copies of a U.S.-mediated sea border deal on Thursday and delivered them to the U.N. in the coastal border town of Naqoura, making a major breakthrough in relations ...

Lebanon’s president says his country wants peace but not normalisation with Israel, as health authorities said an Israeli air strike killed one person in the south of the country. As well as causing one death on Friday, the drone attack on a car in Nabatieh district wounded five other people, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Health.

Israel threatened to escalate attacks on Syrian government forces unless they withdrew from Sweida, a southern province dominated by the country’s Druse minority.

U.S. Envoy Thomas Barrack welcomes Lebanon's response to proposal calling for Hezbollah disarmament within four months, suggesting potential peace talks with Israel

A Lebanese A-29 Super Tucano student pilot and a U.S. instructor pilot train in 2017 at Moody Air Force Base, Ga. The State Department approved a $100 million sale to Lebanon on July 11, 2025, for delivery of parts, equipment and logistical support for the country's Super Tucano planes. (Zachary Wolf/U.S. Air Force)

Lebanon and Israel sent delegations to the United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon, who received separately signed copies of the maritime border deal and confirmed coordinates from both countries.

"This was an intimate gathering aimed at discussing regional developments and exploring how the EU could help promote cooperation,” Regev explained.