Aoun Urges US Support as Lebanon Framework Advances

Times of Israel posted at 15:56 IDT that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Washington to keep backing Lebanon after the US-backed framework with Israel, which aims to end hostilities after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. The deal calls for Hezbollah's disarmament, gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and Lebanese army deployment, starting with two pilot areas; Hezbollah rejects it. Daily Beirut and MTV carried Aoun's July 4 message praising Trump's regional-stability efforts and asking continued support for Lebanon's institutions, army and people. For Israel, the useful signal is the same: diplomacy is moving only when Hezbollah's Iranian weapons monopoly is treated as the obstacle to peace.