Trump invites Lebanese President for White House talks
Shafaq News- Beirut
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will travel to Washington on July 21 after receiving an official invitation from the White House for talks with US President Donald Trump, the Lebanese Embassy in Washington disclosed on Wednesday.
The talks will focus on US support for Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity, along with bilateral ties and regional developments.
The trip had originally been planned for late May but was delayed amid escalating tensions between Lebanon and Israel. At the time, local media indicated that the itinerary could include a meeting involving Benjamin Netanyahu, although the entire visit was postponed before any such plans materialized.
Aoun later made clear that he would not meet Netanyahu before Lebanon and Israel reach a peace agreement.
Washington on June 26 brokered a Lebanese-Israeli security framework that envisions a phased Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon in exchange for the deployment of the Lebanese Army and the disarmament of armed groups. Hezbollah and several Lebanese political factions rejected the proposal, while Israel continues to maintain that any withdrawal depends on the group's disarmament.
Despite the framework, Israeli military operations have continued almost daily across southern Lebanon. Earlier today, the Israeli military said a Hezbollah member was killed during a close-range confrontation inside a building in the southern city of Bint Jbeil.
في اشتباك من مسافة صفر: مخرب من حزب الله الإرهابي أطلق النار على قوة لجيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي في بنت جبيل وتمت تصفيته🔸أمس (الثلاثاء)، نفذت قوات لواء الاحتياط “يفتاح” (679)، التابعة للفرقة 91، والتي تعمل في منطقة بنت جبيل، عمليات تمشيط داخل المبنى الذي شهد الاشتباك الذي وقع يوم…
— Lieutenant Colonel Ella Waweya | إيلا واوية (@CaptainElla1) July 8, 2026
Lebanese media also cited a large explosion in the same city, including the demolition of the Deir Seryan Monastery, airstrikes between the villages of Beit Yahoun and Braachit, and illumination flares over the area around Ali al-Taher in Nabatieh District. No casualties were recorded in those incidents.
العدو نفذ عملية تفجير في دير سريان https://t.co/ox5YcXX1yL
— National News Agency (@NNALeb) July 7, 2026
According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, the conflict has killed 4,319 people and wounded 12,203 others since the war began on March 2.
