Lebanese President's plea to Trump; Put pressure on Tel Aviv for Zionist withdrawal

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA): Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in a statement on Monday evening, pleaded with the United States to put pressure on Tel Aviv for the withdrawal of Zionist troops from southern Lebanon.

Aoun, who preferred surrendering to the United States and Israel to resisting the occupation, said: "The continuation of the occupation undermines the legitimacy of the Lebanese government, prevents the deployment of the [Lebanese] armed forces along the southern border, and calls into question the implementation of the framework agreement signed in Washington."

"Tass" news agency quoted the statement as saying: "The withdrawal of Israeli forces is key to any real tangible progress towards peace and stability."

Stressing the importance of restoring sovereignty and strengthening state institutions, the Lebanese president added: “If Israel continues to stubbornly insist on maintaining its [military] presence, this will contradict the goals pursued by the United States and Lebanon.”

Previously, Aoun’s government had agreed to grant the Zionists very large concessions under a secret annex to the Beirut-Tel Aviv agreement.