Lebanese PM visits southern village, calls for Israeli withdrawal
7 reported
Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited the southern village of Zawtar Al Gharbieh on Wednesday, a day after President Joseph Aoun met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. The visit comes as a Lebanese-Israeli agreement brokered by Washington appears to have started following a monthslong war that began March 2. The agreement, signed in late June, calls for the Lebanese military to deploy in areas where Hezbollah had a presence and from which Israeli troops would withdraw. Both sides agreed on a pilot zone of villages to test implementation, though Israeli troops have conducted operations there and the Lebanese army has not been present in large numbers. Salam, alongside Lebanon’s defense minister and senior military officials, planted a Lebanese flag near a destroyed building and vowed to rebuild homes and infrastructure. He stated that the goal is a complete Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory. Hezbollah has condemned the government for holding direct talks with Israel and rejected the agreement, but has not tried to sabotage it through military means.
What’s reported
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam visited Zawtar Al Gharbieh on Wednesday.
President Joseph Aoun met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House the day before.
The Lebanese-Israeli agreement was signed in late June and brokered by Washington.
The war between Israel and Hezbollah started March 2 after Hezbollah fired rockets toward Israel in solidarity with Iran.
Israel’s campaign killed more than 4,000 people and displaced 1.2 million others.
Salam said the goal is complete Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory.
Hezbollah condemned the government’s direct talks with Israel and rejected the agreement but has not sabotaged it militarily.
Key figures
Nawaf Salam, Prime Minister of Lebanon
Joseph Aoun, President of Lebanon
Donald Trump, U.S. President
Sources: abcnews.com
