Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has proposed a four-point initiative calling for direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel under international supervision, accusing Hezbollah of deliberately attempting to drag the country into full-scale war, Okaz reported on March 9.

Aoun unveiled the initiative during a virtual meeting organised by European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, attended by a number of world leaders to discuss recent military developments in the Middle East and their consequences for Lebanon.

The initiative calls for a complete ceasefire and a halt to all Israeli land, air and sea operations against Lebanon, support for the Lebanese Armed Forces to extend their control over remaining tension zones and confiscate weapons, the disarmament of Hezbollah including its weapons stores and depots, and the opening of direct Lebanon-Israel negotiations under international supervision to implement these steps.

Aoun said recent rocket fire from Lebanese territory had been a "trap set for Lebanon and the Lebanese Armed Forces," designed to draw the Israeli army into Lebanese territory and potentially occupy parts of the country. He said Hezbollah had been prepared to "buy the collapse of the Lebanese state under aggression and chaos, even at the price of destroying dozens of our villages and the deaths of tens of thousands of our people," in calculations linked to the Iranian regime.

The Lebanese government issued a decision on March 2 banning all military and security activity by Hezbollah, which Aoun said Beirut was committed to implementing clearly and decisively.

Aoun closed by reaffirming Lebanon's full solidarity with Arab states targeted by Iranian attacks, naming Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Iraq and Jordan.