Iran Ties Lebanon Ceasefire to Peace Deal, Says Lebanese President

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun accused Iran of using the country as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the United States on Friday. In a CNN interview, Aoun said “the people of Lebanon are paying the price… for the sake” of Iran’s interests and were “fed up” with war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iran has made a ceasefire in Lebanon a condition for any peace deal with Washington in the wider regional conflict that began with the US-Israeli attack on Tehran on February 28. Hezbollah rejected a ceasefire plan agreed by Lebanese and Israeli government officials in US-mediated talks in Washington on Thursday, according to Aoun.

Israeli attacks have killed thousands of people in Lebanon since March and displaced some 1.2 million people, according to Lebanese authorities.