Lebanese president accuses Iran of using Beirut as “bargaining chip”

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun issued a sharp rebuke to Iran on June 5, accusing Tehran of using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in its wider confrontation with the United States and Israel.

In an interview with CNN, President Aoun said he is committed to doing “whatever it takes” to keep Lebanon out of conflict, as tensions continue in the region involving Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed armed group.

“We are fed up and we want to live in peace,” Aoun said, adding “[Lebanese people] deserve to live in peace and in dignity, they deserve not seeing their homes being destroyed every five to 10 years.”

He directly criticised Iran’s influence over Lebanese affairs, saying, “It’s not your country, it’s our country,” while addressing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC], which he described as the main supporter of Hezbollah. “[Iran is] using Lebanon as a bargaining chip in their negotiation with US.”

Aoun said he had spoken to Lebanese citizens across different religious communities, including Shiites, many of whom, he said, are also exhausted by the ongoing conflict involving Hezbollah and Israel.

“They are Lebanese people. They are not Naim Qassem’s people,” he said, in a rare public criticism of the Hezbollah leader.

The president acknowledged that recent negotiations with Israel on June 2–3 were difficult and did not lead to a “major breakthrough.” However, he suggested that the ceasefire agreement reached could represent a step toward “a just and lasting peace.”

Aoun also did not rule out a potential future meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but said such a meeting would only take place after the signing of a formal peace treaty.

By Sabina Mammadli