BEIRUT, Lebanon, June 23, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on 
Tuesday rejected Israel's occupation of south Lebanon and other foreign 
interference, alluding to Iran, as a fifth round of Israel-Lebanon talks 
began in Washington.

"We accept nothing less than an end to the Israeli occupation and at the same 
time, the fall of foreign tutelage, because our only option is our national 
sovereignty and our sole wager is on the Lebanese state," Aoun said, 
according to his office.

He also expressed hope that the new round of talks would be "decisive along 
the path of achieving what we seek for the good of our nation and people", 
namely "the full restoration of Lebanon's sovereignty over every grain of its 
soil".