Aoun says working on 'permanent agreements' after Israel ceasefire

President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that Lebanon is on the verge of a "new phase" of "permanent agreements," after the ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war went into force.

"Now, we all stand before a new phase," Aoun said in his first speech to the nation since the truce, adding that "it is the phase of transition from working on a ceasefire to working on permanent agreements that preserve the rights of our people, the unity of our land, and the sovereignty of our nation."

Aoun added that direct talks with Israel were "not a sign of weakness nor a concession... negotiations do not mean, and will never mean, giving up any right, conceding any principle, or compromising the sovereignty of this nation".

The president stressed that Lebanon is no longer an "arena" for anyone's wars.

"We are confident that we will save Lebanon... we have reclaimed Lebanon and Lebanon's decision-making power for the first time in nearly half a century," Aoun said, adding that "today, we negotiate for ourselves... we are no longer a pawn in anyone's game, nor an arena for anyone's wars, and we never will be again."

"I hereby affirm... that there will be no agreement that infringes upon our national rights, diminishes the dignity of our steadfast people, or relinquishes an iota of this nation's soil," he emphasized.

Aoun also noted that the ceasefire is "the outcome of everyone's efforts."

"Between suicide and prosperity, my people and I choose prosperity against suicide," the president added.

"To those gambling with the fate of Lebanon and the lives of the Lebanese, I say enough! Only a state-building project in Lebanon is the strongest, most enduring, and most secure option for everyone," he said, apparently addressing Hezbollah.

"Our goal is clear: to stop the Israeli aggression against our land and our people, to achieve Israeli withdrawal, to extend the authority of the state over all its territory by its own forces exclusively, and to ensure the return of the prisoners and the return of our people to their homes and villages," he added.