Lebanese President Joseph Aoun asked Greece on Monday for support to help implement a ceasefire agreement with Israel and end Israeli attacks on his country, hours after Greece and Israel announced a multibillion arms deal.
The June 26 accord, brokered by the United States, says both sides must cease hostilities and allow the Lebanese army to restore control over the entire country.
Beirut wants Israel to withdraw from all territory it has occupied in southern Lebanon. Israel first wants Lebanese militant group Hezbollah evacuated from the sector.
“Lebanon and the Lebanese people are tired of wars, and from the start of the negotiations with Israel the aim was to put an end to the state of hostility,” Aoun told a press conference in Athens alongside Greek President Konstantinos Tassoulas.
“The framework agreement … cannot be implemented unilaterally. It needs to be implemented on both sides,” he insisted.
“We request Greece’s assistance as much as possible to help Lebanon.”
Lebanon was sucked into the US-Israeli war against Iran in March, when Israel launched a massive bombardment of its neighbour and invaded, while Hezbollah fired missiles at Israeli territory.
Since then, Aoun said, Israeli strikes have killed 4,300 Lebanese, wounded 12,000 and destroyed 60-70 villages.
“Solving the problem by military force will not succeed,” he said, insisting on the total withdrawal of Israeli forces from his country.
After a later meeting, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece supported “the sovereignty, independence and unity of Lebanon” and would support “all efforts aimed at de-escalation and mutual comprehension”.
Greece has historically maintained cordial relations with Arab states while simultaneously developing strong military ties with Israel.
On Monday, Greece and Israel announced Athens was buying a $3.5-billion aerial defence system from Israel.
