Report: Lebanese President Asked Trump to Pressure Netanyahu to Advance Withdrawal

Sources close to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told the newspaper Al-Akhbar that Aoun asked US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to move to the second phase of the IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Aoun received a commitment from Trump to act on the matter in exchange for expediting Hezbollah's disarmament. Currently, there is no fixed timetable for the second phase.

Sources close to the Lebanese presidential palace of Joseph Aoun said this morning (Tuesday) to the newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is close to Hezbollah, that Aoun asked US President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to move to the second phase of the pilot withdrawal zones. This phase includes a larger number of villages in southern Lebanon. According to the sources, Aoun received a commitment from Trump to work on the issue, in exchange for expediting procedures related to Hezbollah's disarmament. According to the sources, Aoun is betting that Trump will succeed in convincing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw from Lebanese territory, thereby preventing the framework agreement from collapsing. Currently, it has been reported that there is no fixed and detailed timetable for the second phase of IDF withdrawals in southern Lebanon. This means that any expansion of the withdrawals depends on the ability of the military coordination committee to handle violations, complete the engineering survey, and ensure the return of residents. However, the situation on the ground is subject to decisions by the political echelon.