BEIRUT / ISTANBUL 

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Thursday that Israel has refused to engage in negotiations to end its occupation of Lebanese territory.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Salam said President Joseph Aoun has offered to start negotiations with Israel to discuss its withdrawal from the five border outposts.

“I repeat the same offer of negotiating with Israel,” Salam said, adding that there has been no Israeli response to the Lebanese offer.

“That’s a puzzle for me. They ask for negotiations, and when we show readiness, they don’t agree to the rendez-vous,” the premier said.

“That’s something I’ll be bringing up with the Americans,” he added.

Regarding the government’s plan to bring all weapons under state control and demilitarize the south, Salam affirmed that the process is going “on track” and the army is expanding its presence near the southern border with Israel.

“Why can’t we move faster? One: we need to recruit more people into the army, and we need to better equip the army, and we need to be able to raise the salaries of the army,” he said.

On Aug. 5, the Lebanese government approved a plan, based on a draft proposal presented by US Special Envoy Tom Barrack, to place all weapons -- including those held by Hezbollah -- under state control and tasked the army with implementing the plan before the end of 2025.

He added that the Lebanese army has tightened control over smuggling routes, especially along the border with Syria.

The premier said that the work is underway for a donor conference with France and Saudi Arabia to support Lebanon’s reconstruction.

The World Bank estimates that the Israeli war on Lebanon has cost nearly $14 billion.

The Israeli army has killed more than 4,000 people and injured nearly 17,000 in its attacks on Lebanon, which began in October 2023 and turned into a full-scale offensive in September 2024.

Under a ceasefire declared in November 2024, the Israeli army was supposed to withdraw from southern Lebanon this January, but instead only partially pulled out and continues to maintain a military presence at five border outposts.