BEIRUT/Wassim Seifeddine/Anadolu

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun expressed on Monday his hope that the Rome negotiations on Tuesday and Wednesday will lead to an Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the areas it evacuates, and said he will ask US President Donald Trump to pressure Tel Aviv to implement the 'framework formula'.

Aoun's remarks came during meetings he held at the Baabda Palace, including a meeting with a delegation from 'The Elders' (an independent international group for peace and human rights), another from the University of Balamand (a private Lebanese university), and with Dutch diplomat Sigrid Kaag, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.

The Italian capital hosts on July 14-15 the sixth round of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under American sponsorship, after five rounds held in Washington that led to the signing of the 'framework formula' on June 26.

The round is scheduled to discuss mechanisms for implementing the agreement and forming specialized committees.

On June 26, Beirut and Tel Aviv signed in Washington, under American sponsorship, a 'framework agreement' stipulating a phased Israeli withdrawal from all occupied Lebanese territory, starting with two pilot areas.

The agreement did not set a timetable for withdrawal, and links it to the Lebanese army assuming full security responsibility in the areas from which withdrawal occurs, and disarmament of armed groups, with particular reference to 'Hezbollah'.

Aoun said: 'I hope that the negotiations in Rome tomorrow and the day after will result in tangible and practical steps on the ground, and that the Israeli withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the areas being evacuated will begin.'

He pointed out that the Lebanese army is carrying out its duties in various parts of the country, despite the difficult economic conditions faced by soldiers, stressing the need to support it and provide the necessary equipment.

He said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must realize that war will not achieve security, and that stability can only be achieved through negotiation and recognition that continuing the war only leads to more killing, destruction, and displacement.

He added that it is not possible to continue the approach of aggression while simultaneously talking about peace and security, considering that historical experiences have proven that wars and force do not lead to peace and stability or the elimination of unofficial forces.

Aoun called on Israel to change its approach if it wants to secure peace and security for its people and achieve stability in the region.

In another meeting with a delegation from the board of directors of 'Al-Jam'iyya al-Ilmiyya' (a Lebanese educational charitable association founded in 1923) at Baabda Palace, Aoun said that 'the army and the state are the ones capable of protecting the Lebanese, not parties, sectarianism, or confessionalism, and this is what we have experienced since 1975 until today.'

He explained that the disappeared Imam Musa al-Sadr was the first to stand against the violation of southern Lebanon for non-Lebanese causes.

He stressed that southerners are tired of repeated wars and deserve to live in safety and stability instead of watching their properties and lands destroyed and their children killed, wondering why Lebanon and the south always pay this price.

He pointed out that the goals all Lebanese agree on are the Israeli withdrawal, the return of the displaced, the repatriation of prisoners and bodies, and reconstruction, stressing the need to try the negotiation track after the failure of the war track.

Aoun said: 'I will not give up the south or Lebanon's rights, therefore there is an emphasis on Israel's withdrawal from all Lebanese territory and its signing that it has no ambitions in Lebanon.'

He added: 'I will ask US President Donald Trump to exert the necessary pressure on Israel to implement what was agreed upon in the framework formula and the Lebanese demands, and to currently benefit from the US administration's desire to achieve peace in the region and strengthen Lebanon's position in this regard.'

Since March 2, 2026, Israel has been waging an aggression on Lebanon, which has resulted in the deaths of 4,322 people and injuries to 12,210 others, in addition to the displacement of more than one million people, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

Israel occupies areas in southern Lebanon, some for decades and others since the previous war between 2023 and 2024, while it has advanced more than 10 kilometers during the current aggression.