President of the Republic, General Joseph Aoun, in an address to the Lebanese people:
My fellow citizens, my family and brothers and sisters,
I speak to you today from a position of responsibility, and from the heart of the pain we are all living through—not with passing words, but with a sincere message that carries the concerns of the nation and the suffering of its people.
What has been achieved in terms of a ceasefire is the result of everyone’s efforts. It is the fruit of the sacrifices you made, which awakened the conscience of the world. It is also the fruit of those who stood firm in their homes and villages on the front lines, proving to the world that we are here to stay, and that we will not leave, no matter what happens.
It is the result of everyone who hosted and embraced their fellow citizens. It is the outcome of tremendous efforts made by all Lebanese officials, together with all of Lebanon’s brothers and friends around the world—efforts that stretched day into night through continuous communication in all directions and at all levels.
We did not rest, we did not tire, and we never doubted, even for a moment, our right and our duty. We endured a great deal for this cause—accusations, insults, slander, and falsehoods—but we did not retreat.
Until it became clear that we were right, and until the whole world was convinced that what we did was both appropriate and correct.
Here, I extend my thanks and appreciation to everyone who contributed to achieving the ceasefire—from our friend, U.S. President Donald Trump, to all our Arab brothers, foremost among them the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
We count on their friendship to complete what we started yesterday and to achieve what we aspire to.
Now, we stand before a new phase—a transition from working toward a ceasefire to working toward lasting agreements that safeguard the rights of our people, the unity of our land, and the sovereignty of our nation.
In this phase, as in the previous one, we are confident that we will save Lebanon. At the same time, we are aware that we will face attacks, for one simple reason: we have restored Lebanon and its decision-making power for the first time in nearly half a century.
Today, we negotiate for ourselves and decide for ourselves. We are no longer a card in anyone’s pocket, nor a battleground for others’ wars. And we will never be so again. We have returned as a state that alone owns its decisions, raises them high, and translates them into action and words for the life and prosperity of its people—nothing else.
I say to you with full clarity and confidence: these negotiations are not weakness, not retreat, and not concession. They are a decision born from our strong belief in our rights, from our commitment to our people, and from our responsibility to protect our nation by all means—especially our refusal to die for anyone but Lebanon.
Negotiations do not and will never mean relinquishing any right, compromising any principle, or undermining the sovereignty of this nation.
We have lost thousands of Lebanese—our own sons and daughters. We will not forget them. And I will not allow a single Lebanese life to be lost again, nor the bleeding of our people to continue for the sake of others’ influence or the calculations of regional or international powers.
Between suicide and prosperity, my people and I choose prosperity. Between misleading slogans that destroy and rational steps that build, my people and I choose rationality.
Between meaningless, cyclical death under the pretext of external causes, and a dignified, free, and prosperous life for our homeland and our people—we choose life. I say it again: I am ready to bear full responsibility for these choices.
I am ready to go wherever necessary to liberate my land, protect my people, and save my country.
My mission is one—clear and defined: to save this country and its people. This is what I will do, with unwavering national, human, and moral conviction.
I know that you are with me—in your hearts and minds, in public and in private. I know the scale of the sacrifices you have made, and I understand what it means to lose loved ones, homes, or a sense of safety.
I say to you with honesty and determination: this pain will not be our destiny forever. I affirm, as a pledge and a promise, that there will be no agreement that compromises our national rights, diminishes the dignity of our resilient people, or relinquishes even a grain of this nation’s soil.
Our goal is clear and declared: to stop Israeli aggression against our land and people, ensure Israeli withdrawal, extend state authority over all its territory exclusively through its own forces, and secure the return of prisoners.
The strength of this nation lies first in the awareness of its people, and in its unity based on truth, justice, and a shared vision of coexistence—according to the principles of our national pact. One state. One loyalty. One final belonging. One constitution to which we all adhere. One set of laws we all obey. One armed force that protects us all.
Do not allow voices of doubt and accusations to divide you. Do not be drawn behind those who exploit your emotions to build their own glory at the expense of your stability.
Use your reason. Rise above the instincts of those who mislead. Trust that what we are doing today and tomorrow is for your safety, your protection, and your free, dignified, and secure life—and to give your children a more stable and secure future, not to turn them into numbers in recurring cycles of death.
Every person who fell for the nation left our hearts before leaving your homes. Every home that was destroyed took with it a part of our memory and identity.
And so we will rebuild—together—better than before.
All Lebanese are in one boat. Either we steer it wisely to safe shores, or we sink it—and ourselves—with it.
No one has the right to commit such a crime—not in the name of slogans, not out of reckless instinct, and not in loyalty to anyone other than Lebanon and its people.
Today, I appeal to you—in the name of your sacrifices and your pain, in loyalty to those we have lost, and in responsibility toward those who remain—open your hearts and minds. Do not let accusations and betrayal blind your vision or cloud your judgment.
Nations are not built on instinct, but on awareness, unity, and trust.
To the displaced, I say: you will return to your homes, for they are alive through you. We stand with you and will not abandon you. To those who remained steadfast in their homes under danger, your sacrifices will not be in vain. Your resilience is a source of pride for us.
And to those who gamble with Lebanon’s fate and the lives of its people—I say: enough.
The only enduring and strongest project in Lebanon is the state.
To the world, I say: Lebanon will not be broken. Its people will not die. Its rights will prevail. Our future will be shaped by our will—the will of all Lebanese.
Long live my people.
Long live Lebanon.
