Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun on Sunday called for negotiations with Israel , saying dialogue was the only way to stop southern Lebanon from suffering the same devastation inflicted on Gaza, as Israeli bombardment and ground operations persisted across the country.
He also addressed the issue of possible sectarian and social tension as a result of the massive refugee crisis caused by Israel's attacks.
Speaking during a televised Easter Mass in Bkerki, in southern Lebanon, Aoun said his priority was to preserve civil peace, calling it a "red line".
"For years, we have been waiting for Lebanon’s resurrection", he said. "Amid destruction and displacement, our priority is to preserve civil peace. Whoever tries to undermine it is serving Israel".
The president warned that Israel "might want to do in southern Lebanon what it did in Gaza", referring to the ongoing Israeli war that has wreaked havoc on towns and villages particularly in the south of the country and forced more than a million people to flee their homes since early March.
"Gaza was destroyed, over 70,000 people were killed, and they eventually sat down and negotiated", he said. "So why don’t we negotiate ... until we can at least save the homes that have not yet been destroyed?"
Israeli officials have threatened to use the same tactics in Lebanon that they used did during the genocidal campaign in Gaza, with far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warning that Beirut’s Shia-majority southern suburbs would soon "look like Khan Yunis".
Aoun said that talks were not a form of capitulation but a necessary act of diplomacy to spare Lebanese civilians further suffering. "Some said about negotiation, what will we gain from negotiation? And I say, what did we gain from your war?"
He added, "Negotiation is not a concession and diplomacy is not surrender, and our contacts are ongoing to stop the killing and destruction".
The Lebanese president also addressed possible social and sectarian tensions which could result from the displacement of millions of people, trying to reassure his audience.
"There is no fear of civil war or internal strife because our people are aware", Aoun said, adding that any division in the country would only serve the interests of Tel Aviv.
He elaborated on the situation, adding that, "To those who want sedition, I say that circumstances have changed and responsibility for preserving civil peace is shared. Some media figures are playing a destructive role, so tone down your sectarian rhetoric".
Aoun also defended the Lebanese army’s role, condemning those who accused it of bias. "There are those who attack the Lebanese army", he said. "What have you done for the army? The army is doing its job, and without it you would not be in your homes now. It does not work according to agendas, but according to the internal interest".
He confirmed Beirut had called for a ceasefire before entering any talks with Israel but said "the other side has not yet responded". Contacts with friendly states were ongoing, he added, to pressure Israel to halt its strikes and cease targeting civilians.
Aoun extended condolences to families of victims and wounded civilians, as well as to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and Indonesia, after the deaths of three Indonesian peacekeepers in the south.
UNIFIL said three Indonesian soldiers were killed earlier in the week in two separate incidents in southern Lebanon, while an explosion on Friday near a UNIFIL position in Adaisseh wounded three others. The Israeli army accused Hezbollah of firing the rocket that struck the position.
Since its establishment in 1978, UN data shows 97 UNIFIL personnel have been killed in Lebanon.
The Israeli offensive launched on 2 March has so far killed 1,422 people and wounded 4,294, according to Lebanese authorities, with more than one million displaced nationwide.
Aoun said the government was working to provide shelter and care for the displaced while preserving their dignity, thanking Lebanese citizens who have opened their homes to those affected.
Meanwhile, air strikes continued Sunday across the south and the capital Beirut.