Lebanon’s prime minister has ruled out an agreement with Israel that does not involve the full withdrawal of its forces, in an interview published ahead of a second round of Lebanon-Israel talks in Washington today.
Speaking to The Washington Post, Nawaf Salam said his government is urging the Trump administration to pressure Israel into ending their occupation of swathes of the country’s south.
Israel has forcibly displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians living south of the Litani River and declared a so-called buffer zone stretching deep into Lebanese territory. Officials have vowed to prevent people from returning to their homes as Israeli forces set about destroying entire villages near the Israeli border.
“We cannot live with a so-called buffer zone,” Salam told the newspaper, “an Israeli presence where Lebanese displaced people are not allowed to return, where destroyed villages and towns cannot be rebuilt.”
Israel ceded to US pressure and agreed to a 10-day ceasefire with Hezbollah set to expire on Sunday, though has continued to launch airstrikes including against medics and journalists.
Beirut is now relying on the US president to extend the truce and restrain the Israeli military, which has killed more than 2,400 people since the beginning of March.
“We are entering these negotiations convened by the US convinced that the US is the party that can have leverage over Israel,” Salam said. “Their role was critical in reaching the ceasefire, and we hope they will continue exercising their leverage over Israel.”
Nawaf Salam speaks at the Elysee Palace, Paris, on 21 April 2026. [Getty]
