Lebanese President Joseph Aoun urges US support after US‑backed Lebanon‑Israel deal

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun addressed the United States on its 250th Independence Day, asking Washington to “always stand beside Lebanon’s right and just causes, its institutions, army and people.” He praised a U.S.-mediated framework agreement signed last week between Lebanon and Israel that calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army in pilot zones.

Hezbollah rejected the deal, and fighting has continued since March 2, leaving more than 4,300 dead and over 12,200 wounded. Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said about 400,000 displaced residents have returned, and authorities are preparing prefabricated housing and rent assistance. However, Israeli strikes, including missile attacks on Majdal Zoun and the village of al‑Mansouri, persisted, with the Israeli military reporting the killing of an armed fighter in the security zone.

Aoun called for an end to wars and a new era of hope, peace and stability for Lebanon.