Vatican Says 'Serious Concerns' over Israel-Lebanon Deal Implementation
The Holy See welcomed the June accord but said implementation faces serious difficulties as Israel keeps forces in a 10-kilometer strip in south Lebanon.
- On Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a private audience at the Vatican to discuss the stalled implementation of the US-mediated framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
- The framework agreement reached in June calls for Hezbollah disarmament and Israeli withdrawal via 'pilot zones,' but progress stalled after direct talks in Rome early this month.
- Despite the cease-fire, Israel continues strikes and maintains a 10-kilometre-wide 'security zone' along the border, while Beirut criticizes the military for refusing to accept Lebanese conditions for complete withdrawal.
- The Holy See expressed being 'deeply concerned' about implementation difficulties, pledging support for diplomatic efforts to ensure Israel adheres to the deal's provisions and ends attacks against civilians and infrastructure.
- President Aoun is expected to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday to discuss the future of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, whose mandate expires at the end of 2026.
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11 Articles
Radio France Internationale
Vatican says 'serious concerns' over Israel-Lebanon deal implementation
During a private, 30-minute audience at the Vatican, Aoun had urged the pontiff to support Beirut's push to secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon envisaged by the deal, the Lebanese presidency said. "The Holy See, whilst welcoming the signing of the document, has expressed serious concerns about the difficulties being encountered in implementing it, and has pledged its support for efforts to that end," the Vatican said in a…
The Vatican is "lively concerned" about the difficulties in implementing the framework agreement between Israel and Lebanon. This concern was expressed at a hearing of Pope Leo XIV with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Vatican.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, during his visit to the Vatican, met with the Pope and high-ranking officials and requested that diplomatic pressure be exerted to ensure Israel abides by the June 26 framework agreement, withdraws from the occupied territories, and ceases attacks against Lebanon.
Pope Leo XIV met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Vatican to discuss the security crisis in southern Lebanon and the implementation of the Trilateral Agreement.
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