Lebanese and Palestinian leaders agree that Lebanon won't be used as a launchpad to strike Israel

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Lebanese and Palestinian leaders agree that Lebanon won’t be used as a launchpad to strike Israel

By BASSEM MROUE
Updated 12:48 PM EDT, May 21, 2025

BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese and Palestinian presidents agreed Wednesday that Palestinian factions won’t use Lebanon as a launchpad for any attacks against Israel, and to remove weapons that aren’t under the authority of the Lebanese state.

The announcement was made during a meeting between President Joseph Aoun and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who arrived earlier in the day beginning a three-day visit to Lebanon, his first in seven years.

Lebanon’s government is seeking to establish authority throughout the country, mainly in the south near the border with Israel after the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war that ended in late November with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.

The 12 Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon aren’t under the control of the Lebanese state, and Palestinian factions in the camps have different types of weapons. Rival groups have clashed inside the camps in recent years, inflicting casualties and affecting nearby areas.

-snip-

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-palestinians-aoun-abbas-hamas-weapons-camps-757c46e7cddd4c1053f19cd9c02d064e

[JohnSJ]

1. Good luck with that, because if history is any prediction of the future, that sure wasn't the case.

After the 67 war and after Jordan expelled them from Jordan in 1970, the PLO created a mini state within Southern Lebanon, and over time was able to gain almost complete control over areas of Lebanon, where they were able to launch attacks against Israel.

And while the PLO is no longer a major force in Lebanon, Hezbollah, the Iranian backed Shia group sure is.

I think it will be a miracle if the Lebanese Army is to prevent their country from being used as a launchpad against Israel.

Unless there is a comprehensive peace agreement with a two-state solution, which is unlikely under present circumstances, I think prospects don't look very good.

[stillcool]

2. I wonder why the entire region can't get it together

and agree to protect each other, but now I can look at this country. We've only been at it for a couple hundred years. They've been at it for forever. Wonder how many Trumps they've had.