Lebanon\u2019s top political leadership criticized Hezbollah for dragging the country into another war, but also condemned Israel for its strikes and ground invasion.<\/p>\n
\t Salam, alongside Lebanon\u2019s defense minister and senior military officials, pitched a Lebanese flag near a destroyed building in the town, vowing the government will start rebuilding destroyed homes and infrastructure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have insisted since the beginning that our goal is the complete Israeli withdrawal from all our territory,\u201d Salam said. \u201cWhat we are seeing today is just the beginning, but we remain determined and steadfast, and will continue to mobilize all political and diplomatic efforts to secure a full withdrawal from all of Lebanese territory.\u201d<\/p>\n Hezbollah has condemned the government for holding direct talks with Israel and rejected the agreement, but has not tried to sabotage it through military means. Its leadership believes Israel cannot be pressured to withdraw its troops by diplomatic means only, and that Lebanon lacks the leverage of its key ally Iran in negotiations.<\/p>\n Trump, in his meeting with Aoun, did not speak much about the pilot zone going into its implementation phase, but pledged to support Lebanon without going into details.<\/p>\n Aoun and the Lebanese government have urged the international community to invest in the country and its army to help rebuild its infrastructure and military capacity.<\/p>\n \t Following the meeting, Aoun told US congressmembers and Trump administration officials that Lebanon can disarm Hezbollah, but that Israel\u2019s military must pull out of the south of the country for it to happen, the Lebanese president\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n Speaking at a dinner in his honor hosted by Lebanese Ambassador Nada Hamadeh Moawad, Aoun says that his country cannot be secure or united until it is \u201cone state with one army that protects all Lebanese.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHezbollah\u2019s weapons can be disarmed if we are honest about what it truly requires,\u201d he continued, \u201cnamely, the removal of the occupation and the army taking full control.\u201d<\/p>\n Israeli officials have expressed skepticism that Lebanon\u2019s armed forces are strong enough to disarm Hezbollah by force on their own, and say IDF troops are needed in the south to provide a buffer zone keeping the Iran-backed terror group away from its border.<\/p>\n During the meeting with Trump, Aoun, a former army commander, said the military was \u201cthe backbone of security and stability\u201d and the country\u2019s most trusted institution.<\/p>\n \t Asked whether the US would provide assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces on disarming Hezbollah, Trump was noncommittal, saying that he would be discussing the matter with Aoun privately.<\/p>\n More than a million Lebanese have been displaced by Israel\u2019s military campaign since the war broke out in March.<\/p>\n More than 4,300 people have been killed, according to Lebanese authorities, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel said late last month it had killed at least 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group\u2019s elite Radwan Force.<\/p>\n Thirty-eight IDF soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon. Two civilians were also killed by Hezbollah rockets, and an Israeli civilian was mistakenly killed in the north by Israeli artillery shelling.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tLebanese soldiers search vehicles at a checkpoint at the entrance to Srifa village in southern Lebanon, July 21, 2026. (AP Photo\/Hassan Ammar)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26202549966779-e1784712109330-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tUS President Donald Trump greets Lebanon\u2019s President Joseph Aoun upon the latter\u2019s arrival at the White House, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP26202563665422-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPresident Donald Trump meets with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office at the White House, July 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Mark Schiefelbein)<\/p>\n
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