Lebanon’s president urges US solidarity as Israeli troops occupy south

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday urged the United States to stand by his country, after reaching a US-backed framework deal with Israel aiming to permanently end hostilities after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war.The deal reached in Washington calls for the disarmament of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there, starting with two “pilot” areas.Hezbollah has rejected the deal, which does not set a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal.In a congratulatory message to President Donald Trump marking the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, Aoun urged Washington to “keep always standing beside Lebanon’s right and just causes, its institutions, army and people”.Aoun expressed hope that Lebanon could “turn the page on wars … and open a new page of hope, peace and stability”.Mourners walk outside the Imam Khomeini Mosalla Grand Mosque as one carries a Hezbollah flag during the days-long funeral ceremonies for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and members of his family in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday. Photo: APIn a message also marking the independence anniversary, the Lebanon" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="158754" data-entity-type="organization">US embassy in Lebanon said on social media that “it is with great pride that we stand with the people of Lebanon as they forge a brighter future – one of peace, prosperity, and promise long overdue”.