Overview
- The White House visit by President Joseph Aoun and U.S. President Donald Trump coincided with a Lebanese army deployment to Zawtar al‑Gharbiya under a U.S.‑brokered pilot‑zone plan.
- The deployment began Tuesday and immediately produced clashes of claims with Israel, which said it fired warning shots after troops entered a non‑pilot area while Lebanon accused Israeli forces of opening fire nearby.
- Washington tied its political and military backing to a demand that Hezbollah be disarmed, and Trump offered expanded aid and measures such as resuming direct U.S.‑Lebanon commercial flights.
- Hezbollah has publicly rejected the agreement and its stance, together with Iran’s backing, remains the central obstacle to a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
- If the pilot zones hold, the pact could strengthen Lebanon’s state institutions and change daily life in southern towns by reducing Israeli operations, but the plan risks flareups if Hezbollah or Israel reject the arrangements.