Lebanon's Aoun calls on US to 'keep always standing beside' his country
In a US Independence Day message, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urged Washington to continue supporting Lebanon, following a US-brokered framework deal between Lebanon and Israel aimed at ending the conflict with Hezbollah.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun sent a congratulatory message to US President Donald Trump on the occasion of America's 250th Independence Day, calling on Washington to "keep always standing beside Lebanon's right and just causes, its institutions, army and people."
Aoun expressed hope that Lebanon could "turn the page on wars ... and open a new page of hope, peace and stability." His appeal comes after a US-backed framework deal was signed last week between Israel and Lebanon, intended to permanently end the conflict with the Hezbollah armed group in southern Lebanon.
The agreement includes provisions for Hezbollah's disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army to the area, beginning with two pilot zones. However, Hezbollah has rejected the deal because it does not set a timetable for Israel's withdrawal.
Hezbollah joined the US-Israel war with Iran on March 2 by firing rockets at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. In response, Israel launched an intense campaign of airstrikes and a ground invasion in southern Lebanon, occupying large areas.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, the death toll since March 2 has reached 4,303 killed and 12,202 wounded. During a visit to southern Lebanon, including the heavily damaged city of Nabatieh, Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said authorities are working on a plan involving "prefabricated houses and rent assistance payments" to help displaced people return home or move to nearby areas. She also noted that 400,000 displaced people have already returned to their areas in southern Lebanon.
Despite the agreement, attacks continue. Lebanon's National News Agency (NNA) reported that an Israeli Apache helicopter fired five missiles toward the town of Majdal Zoun. Separately, one person was injured in an Israeli strike on the village of al-Mansouri. The Israeli military later said its troops killed an armed fighter in the "security zone" in southern Lebanon after identifying him as an "armed terrorist."
