U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he may invite Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Reuters/Mohamed Azaki
U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that he may invite Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to the White House.
The remark came during a press conference, only days after Washington canceled meetings planned in the United States for Lebanon’s army commander, General Rodolphe Haykal. The cancellations followed what U.S. officials described as rising frustration with Beirut.
According to Washington and Jerusalem, the Lebanese army has stalled on the question of Hezbollah’s disarmament, a central demand of both countries. This tension set the stage for Trump’s statement, which mixed criticism with an opening for dialogue.
Trump said the United States continues to engage with Lebanon and other Middle Eastern partners, linking the issue to his broader vision for the region. “Hezbollah has caused problems. We are working with Lebanon. We are working with everyone in the Middle East,” he said. Trump added that his administration wants to secure lasting peace in the region.
In his characteristic tone, Trump claimed the Middle East is experiencing what he called its most stable moment in millennia.
“We want to see peace in the Middle East and, in reality, we now have, for the first time in 3,000 years, peace in the Middle East. We are going to refine it. I think you will see very positive things happen.”
The possibility of a White House invitation to President Aoun suggests Washington is keeping communication channels open despite its growing impatience.
The weight of Hezbollah’s military arsenal, and Lebanon’s handling of it, continues to shape the strategic calculations of the United States.
Maronite Patriarch Béchara Raï raised the stakes Sunday, declaring that southern Lebanon "is not a bargaining chip." In his Sunday homily in Mayfouk, in the Jbeil district, the cardinal called for the "protection" of the region, insisting that such protection "begins with the state holding a monopoly on weapons », a thinly veiled call for Hezbollah's disarmament.
An Iraqi court on Sunday opened the trial of six French nationals accused of belonging to Islamic State, with a member of the Supreme Judicial Council telling the court that the suspects could face the death penalty if convicted of crimes committed against Iraq and the Iraqi people.
For 24 hours, Israel will live in slow motion. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, begins Sunday evening.
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