Lebanon president says ceasefire should move to permanent agreements

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Friday that a ceasefire agreed to by his country should be transformed into "permanent agreements," without saying whether he was referring to a prospective peace deal with Israel.



The televised address was his first speech since the U.S. brokered a ceasefire to end six weeks of fighting between Israel and Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah on Thursday. The text of the deal says Israel and Lebanon would hold direct talks to produce "peace between the two countries."



Aoun thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and regional countries for helping secure the ceasefire.