WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President pledged to help 鈥渁 lot鈥� during a White House meeting on Tuesday with the country’s leader, Joseph Aoun, who came to push for long-term calm after months of war between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a very badly treated place and country and we鈥檙e going to have it properly treated and treated with the respect it deserves,鈥� Trump told Aoun during a meeting which wrapped up the Lebanese leader’s four-day visit to Washington. 鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna help it a lot,” he said, without giving concrete details.
The U.S. has pushed for peace in Lebanon but been increasingly distracted by a new round of escalation with the , which has destabilized much of the Middle East. On Wednesday, Trump said he had little interest in talks with Iran’s leader to end the war 鈥� at least for now.
Lebanon and Israel have held rare direct talks mediated by Washington. Aoun’s White House visit was the first by a Lebanese president since 2009.
Lebanon hopes the talks result in Israeli troops withdrawing from large swaths of southern Lebanon that they currently occupy, and the Lebanese military receiving support to assert full control in areas where Hezbollah militants had held sway.
Trump said of Israel鈥檚 army fully withdrawing from Lebanon, 鈥淭hey鈥檙e in the process of doing that. They鈥檙e in the process of redeploying鈥� but didn’t elaborate.
Aoun told Trump, 鈥淵our vision is peace,鈥� calling it Trump’s 鈥渓egacy.鈥�
The U.S. president responded by joking, 鈥淚 do agree with that” and said Aoun was handsome and 鈥渒nows how to get to me,鈥� adding, 鈥溾�淣ow he can have anything.鈥�
Framework agreement is being tested
Lebanon and Israel on June 26, setting a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw and for the disarmament of Hezbollah, which for decades had a strong presence in southern Lebanon.
It also lays out steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the countries, which have never held formal diplomatic ties and have been nominally in a state of war for nearly 80 years after Israel鈥檚 establishment.
Trump noted Tuesday of Lebanon, 鈥淭here鈥檚 a Hezbollah problem鈥� and suggested that he personally could speak with Hezbollah if Aoun wanted him to. He also floated the idea of having Syria intervene to fight Hezbollah 鈥� though didn’t fully commit to that.
Such a concept would be highly unpopular in Lebanon and potentially embarrass Aoun.
Meanwhile, the State Department announced Monday that operations in three villages deemed part of a 鈥減ilot zone鈥� had begun, without giving details. Two of the villages, Froun and Srifa, are not under Israeli military control and the Lebanese army is present, while Israeli forces are in part of Zawtar al-Gharbieh.
The Lebanese army in a statement said it was preparing for Israel to withdraw from Zawtar al-Gharbieh and that it had begun deploying troops Tuesday. The Israeli military said it 鈥渨ill adjust its force posture in one of the pilot areas in order to enable the Lebanese Armed Forces to carry out their mission,鈥� without specifying the location.
The Lebanese military later said Israeli troops fired near that area in Zawtar al-Gharbieh, without giving details, and warned it could delay deployment.
An Israeli military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with military guidelines, said the withdrawal had not yet begun.
Village mayor waits for safety to be confirmed
Abed Ezzeldine, mayor of Zawtar al-Gharbieh, said they were waiting for the Lebanese military to say whether it’s safe for residents to check on their homes after they fully deploy and patrol the area. He was concerned about safety, given that the Israeli military is still present in a village next door, while Israeli strikes continue nearby.
鈥淭he villages are intertwined, so we don鈥檛 feel safe because the Israelis are present there, they鈥檙e on our borders and are not very far from us,鈥� Ezzeldine told The Associated Press, who said Zawtar al-Gharbieh is uninhabitable.
鈥淥nce the army gives us permission to enter Zawtar al-Gharbieh, we as civilians will go in, but only to check it out and see how things are and then we will leave,鈥� he said. “We can鈥檛 stay because the infrastructure is completely damaged and houses have been leveled. They (the Israelis) have bulldozed the roads.鈥�
The Lebanese military last week increased its presence in some of the areas expected to be included in the pilot zone, including the three villages, with troops patrolling and setting up checkpoints.
Rubio says US will support the framework agreement
Aoun on Sunday met with Secretary of State , who said Washington will continue to endorse the Lebanese agreement and support its full implementation. Rubio described the meeting as 鈥渧ery positive鈥� and warned that Lebanon will 鈥渘ever be fully at peace鈥� as long as the Hezbollah issue is not resolved.
鈥淗ow do you replace Hezbollah? You defeat and replace them with a government that is strong enough to be the sole force of arms in the country,鈥� Rubio said.
Skeptics in Lebanon fear that a military confrontation with Hezbollah could lead to a civil war.
Government officials have urged investment in the country’s battered infrastructure to empower the weakened state, which Rubio echoed.
鈥淭his is not just about military stuff,” he said. “This is about how can we attract more U.S. and international investment into Lebanon.鈥�
Israel plans on a long-term presence
Israeli officials, meanwhile, have said they plan to keep military forces long-term in a 鈥渟ecurity zone鈥� in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has dismissed the U.S.-brokered direct talks and instead backed Washington鈥檚 talks with its key ally and patron Iran to end their war, which includes ending the war in Lebanon as a condition.
Lebanon鈥檚 government came to power on a reformist platform in early 2025, vowing to disarm all non-state groups including Hezbollah. It blames Hezbollah for dragging the country into another war with Israel in March, when the militant group fired several rockets toward northern Israel two days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran.
Beirut’s leadership, however, has condemned Israel鈥檚 subsequent ground invasion and massive aerial campaign in the country, which has killed over 4,000 people and displaced 1.2 million others.
While grappling with stark political opposition from Hezbollah and allies within the deeply divided country, Lebanon’s leadership insists that Israeli withdrawal and international financial support for Lebanon鈥檚 cash-strapped army is crucial for a sustainable security solution.
___
Chehayeb reported from Beruit. Associated Press writer Giovanna Dell’Orto in Jerusalem contributed.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
