Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi said Wednesday that securing “the return of the displaced” depends on direct, U.S.-sponsored negotiations, which he called “the only way to reclaim our land.” He made the remarks on September 30, as a war involving Iran continues to shape the region.
The statement was brief. And pointed. Raggi said stability in Lebanon requires “ending the [Israeli] occupation” and the “handover of Hezbollah’s weapons.” He placed the two demands side by side and didn’t rank them.
Two Demands, One Country
The pairing matters: it describes a country pressed from two directions. One demand concerns Israeli forces on Lebanese territory. The other concerns an armed group inside Lebanon’s own borders. Raggi named both as conditions for stability.
He also addressed Iran directly. “We want peace with all our neighbours, and we stress the need for Iran to stop interfering in our affairs,” he said. That line put Lebanon’s government on record against outside interference while stating its wish for peace with its neighbours.
The Middle East Eye published the remarks in a live-blog entry about the war on Iran at 17:54 BST.
The Displaced
Raggi’s phrase about the displaced points to the statement’s concern for ordinary people. He didn’t say how many Lebanese remain displaced or where they are. The published statement gives no figures and names no communities or villages. What it makes clear is that, in the minister’s words, their return depends on a negotiating track, not military action.
That linkage reflects a basic reality for displaced families anywhere. Whether they go home depends on decisions made in rooms they aren’t in. Raggi said Lebanon is “committed” to the U.S.-sponsored talks, describing them as the route to reclaiming land and bringing people back.
Diplomatic Options
The minister described the negotiations as direct and sponsored by the United States. The statement doesn’t say when talks might take place or who would sit at the table. It also doesn’t say what Israel or Hezbollah make of the proposal. Those gaps matter. A commitment from one side is a starting point, not an agreement.
Still, the framing is notable for what it rules out. Raggi presented negotiation as the only path. He didn’t present it as one option among several.
Why This Matters: Raggi’s statement shows the Lebanese government trying to set the terms of its own future while a wider war is under way. The displaced have the most at stake: they can’t return home until a political process delivers something. The statement also shows how difficult that process would be. It calls for an end to an occupation and the disarming of an armed group, and asks Iran to step back. No timeline accompanies any of it. Diplomacy backed by the United States is one of the few frameworks on offer, and it has often lacked the enforcement needed to make commitments hold. Whether this one does will determine whether the displaced go home or stay in limbo. That is a perspective, not a conclusion, and the coming weeks will test it.