Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called on Lebanese President Abbas Araqchi to "save" Lebanon from his "real enemy" Israel, the day after Joseph Aoun called on Tehran to stop "interfering" in his country's affairs.
"Based on Mr. Aoun's statements, one would think that Iran has occupied a fifth of Lebanon, displaced a quarter of its population, and is bombing the country daily.
"If Lebanon were a bargaining chip for Iran, we would have reached an agreement a long time ago. Save Lebanon from your real enemy, Mr. President."
Aoun: The south is not a backup front for anyone
In an interview with CNN on Friday, June 5, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun directly criticized Iran and Hezbollah, calling on Tehran to stop interfering in Lebanese affairs and stop his country's use of "a card to improve the terms of its negotiations with the United States," stressing that "Lebanon's sovereignty is not for compromise."
He addressed Iran, "This is not your country. This is our country, you have no business interfering in Lebanon's affairs," he said, adding that Tehran is treating Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its political bazaar with Washington, which he described as "absolutely unacceptable."
The Lebanese president stressed that the south is not a "backup front for anyone", and that its continued transformation into an arena of conflict that serves foreign agendas threatens the rest of the country's stability.
The Lebanese president stressed that there is no way out of the conflict with Israel except through negotiation and diplomacy, adding: "Hezbollah must understand that there is no other way but to sit down and talk. This is the only way to save what's left."
Salam escalates his speech against Tehran
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has stepped up his rhetoric toward Iran, calling on it to stop dealing with Lebanon, especially the south, as a "card to improve the terms of its negotiations" with the United States.
During a press conference at the Government Serail in Beirut on Friday (June 5th), Salam said that Lebanon succeeded in reaching a ceasefire understanding thanks to "the efforts of the Lebanese state, the support of our Arab brothers and the American understanding", the day after the announcement of a joint statement by Washington, Beirut and Tel Aviv on a "declaration of intent" for a ceasefire pending the approval of the parties.
The Lebanese prime minister said the IRGC was "the first to reject this understanding", saying it "reaffirms that this war is not our war, nor is it being fought for us, but on our land and at the expense of our people".
Salam sent a direct message to Tehran, saying, "Have mercy on our south, and stop dealing with it and its people as a mere card to improve the terms of your negotiations," stressing that the Lebanese are "owners of a homeland that refuses to turn into a mailbox for other people's messages or a field for their wars."
Hezbollah rejects Washington agreement
On Thursday (June 4th), Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem launched a fiery stance against Washington's recent announcement, considering it a roadmap for "the annihilation of a part of the Lebanese people and the enslavement of the rest" and that any attempt to disarm the resistance means in practice "the execution of Lebanon's power and the threat to its existence."
Qassem described direct negotiations with Israel as "absurd, humiliating and shameful," stressing that the continued targeting of Lebanese villages will be matched by the targeting of Israeli settlements, saying: "The killers of the prophets will not settle on our land, and they will see our strength and strength, we will fight the invaders until we expel them from our land and stop their aggression. The resistance is based on broad popular support, and it represents an inclusive national option that cannot be overcome.
Qassem called for "an end to the farce and humiliation called direct negotiations," as he described it, stressing that Lebanon's strength lies in the rally of its people around the choice of a sovereign state, and that the enemies will inevitably submit to the will of the resistance and the people.