Aoun courts Turkish support as Lebanon prepares for Rome talks

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun travelled to Ankara on Thursday for talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seeking Ankara's backing for a US-brokered framework agreement with Israel as Beirut pushes to revive stalled security negotiations and prevent renewed conflict along its southern border.

The visit comes as regional tensions continue to mount following the recent US-Iran escalation, with Lebanese officials increasingly concerned that any wider confrontation could spill into Lebanon.

At the same time, Israel continues military operations in southern Lebanon and remains entrenched in so-called "Yellow Line" territory, maintaining military occupation and fire dominance over more than 60 towns and villages, according to Lebanese officials.

According to information obtained by The New Arab, Aoun intends to use the visit to rally Turkish political support for the framework agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel in Washington on 26 June. Despite domestic opposition, particularly from Hezbollah and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Aoun continues to present the agreement as the best available path towards ending hostilities and restoring stability.

The Lebanese presidency is expected to press Turkey to support the agreement internationally, while also backing Lebanon's insistence that any implementation must begin with a complete halt to Israeli military operations and a full Israeli withdrawal from occupied areas to allow the Lebanese army to complete its deployment in the south.

Those demands, The New Arab understands, were central to a meeting on Wednesday between Aoun and Berri after a lengthy period without direct talks between the two men. During the meeting, Aoun reportedly reaffirmed that Lebanon would insist on those conditions during indirect negotiations due to resume in Rome next week.

Aoun is also expected to seek Turkish support for strengthening the Lebanese army as the government pursues its stated goal of extending state authority across all Lebanese territory. Lebanese officials hope Ankara will also use its regional influence to press for a full Israeli withdrawal.

Beyond the security file, Lebanese officials view Turkey as an increasingly important regional partner on issues relating to neighbouring Syria, including the return of Syrian refugees, border security and Beirut's position that Syrian military intervention against Hezbollah inside Lebanon must be avoided.

The visit is also expected to focus on expanding economic, trade and investment ties between the two countries as Lebanon seeks to revive its struggling economy.

In remarks to Turkey's Anadolu Agency before departing Beirut, Aoun said Turkey's membership of NATO and its broad regional relationships positioned it to play an important diplomatic role in promoting the Washington framework internationally.

"Lebanon remains committed to implementing what it signed in Washington," Aoun said. "But the success of this agreement depends on clear guarantees, foremost among them a complete Israeli withdrawal simultaneous with the deployment of the Lebanese army, a definitive end to violations and attacks against the south, and an effective international mechanism to verify both sides' commitments so that Lebanon's obligations do not become a unilateral step without corresponding Israeli measures."

He also described coordination with Turkey as "a strategic necessity rather than a temporary option".

Aoun added that ensuring there is no security vacuum if the mandate of the UN peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon changes remains a priority. Any proposal for a replacement force, including possible Turkish participation, would be judged solely on whether it strengthens the Lebanese army's ability to extend state authority and maintain stability in the south, he said.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam also visited Turkey earlier this month, meeting Erdoğan in Istanbul, where both sides stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation and elevating Lebanese-Turkish relations towards what they described as a strategic partnership.

Separately on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by telephone with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss developments in Lebanon and the wider region.

According to Berri's office, Macron reaffirmed France's continued support for Lebanon, including assistance for the Lebanese army and post-war reconstruction, while expressing France's readiness, together with partner countries, to help Lebanon navigate the current crisis.

Berri, meanwhile, called for intensified international efforts to compel Israel to halt its military campaign, withdraw from Lebanese territory, enable the deployment of the Lebanese army and allow displaced residents to return to their towns and villages before reconstruction begins.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), describing its continued presence as central to implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701.