Wassim Seifeddine and Sahin Demir
07 September 2026•Update: 07 September 2026
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji on Monday condemned Israel’s continuing attacks on Lebanon, but said negotiations with Tel Aviv are the most effective way to bring them to an end.
Addressing the 166th session of the Arab League Council at the foreign ministers level in Cairo, Rajji said Lebanon was at a “decisive moment” to extend the state’s authority across its entire territory and compel Israel to withdraw behind the international border.
Rajji condemned Israel’s “continuing attacks, violations of international law and occupation of large areas of Lebanese territory.”
He said the US-sponsored negotiating process “is the most effective way to stop the attacks and compel Israel to withdraw behind the internationally recognized borders.”
The foreign minister also accused Hezbollah of dragging Lebanon into two consecutive wars with Israel over the past two years, despite warnings against jeopardizing the country’s security and involving it in “such destructive wars.”
Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of direct negotiations under US sponsorship. The first five rounds were held in Washington, culminating in a 14-point framework agreement signed on June 26, while the sixth and seventh took place in Rome.
The latest round concluded on Aug. 6 after three days of talks covering military, political, legal and border issues, as well as prisoners.
The framework provides for a phased Israeli withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory alongside the deployment of the Lebanese army and the disarmament of non-state armed groups.
Israel has continued its attacks on Lebanon despite the framework agreement. According to figures released by the Lebanese Health Ministry in late August, Israeli attacks since early March have killed more than 4,000 people and injured over 12,000.