Israeli troops began pulling back Tuesday from sections of the southern Lebanese town of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, operating under a framework brokered by the United States, even as Lebanon’s prime minister pressed for a total Israeli exit from the country.
The partial withdrawal opened the door for the Lebanese army to move into the area, representing the first time the agreement’s so-called “pilot areas” arrangement had been put into action. The arrangement is designed to gradually expand Lebanese government control as Israeli forces step back.
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam traveled to Zawtar al-Gharbiyah and characterized the start of the pullback as “a national moment with significant political and moral dimensions.” He pledged that Beirut would pursue “all political and diplomatic efforts” to achieve a full Israeli withdrawal from every part of Lebanese soil.
Salam also said the government had begun gathering resources to assist residents returning to southern Lebanon. He noted that Lebanese army and security forces had been deployed to protect civilians, while officials work to reopen roads, clear debris, restore essential services, and reconnect water, electricity, and telecommunications infrastructure, along with providing temporary housing during the transition period.
Later in the day, the Lebanese army reported that Israeli forces fired toward its troops. The Israel Defense Forces responded by saying its soldiers had fired “warning shots.”
In a separate development, Aoun visited the White House on Tuesday for a meeting with President Trump, where he declared Lebanon’s commitment to ending hostilities with Israel and disarming Hezbollah.
President Trump referred to Lebanon as “a very mistreated country” that had been “hit hard” for decades. When asked whether he would be willing to meet with Hezbollah leaders, Trump said he would not rule it out.
“I would speak to Hezbollah. I speak to everybody. I’ll speak to people that a lot of people think I shouldn’t be speaking to, and things work out,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “If the president wanted me to speak to Hezbollah, I would,” he added.
Hezbollah, for its part, has rejected any disarmament and stands against Lebanon engaging in negotiations with the United States.
President Trump also took to Truth Social to announce that he had directed his administration to restore direct commercial airline service between the US and Lebanon — ending a ban that has been in place for more than 40 years.
In that post, Trump said Aoun “has done a remarkable job working to transform his country” and expressed hope that other nations would also resume direct flights to “this beautiful land.”
