Lebanese President Aoun urges US to remain ‘always standing beside’ his country in Independence Day message
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has called on the United States to maintain its firm support for Beirut, hours after Washington helped broker a landmark framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel. In a congratulatory message to President Donald Trump marking the US 250th Independence Day, Aoun urged the Trump administration to “keep always standing beside Lebanon’s right and just causes, its institutions, army and people.”
Aoun added that he hopes Lebanon could “turn the page on wars … and open a new page of hope, peace and stability.” The plea comes as Lebanon navigates one of the most volatile periods in its modern history, with a devastating conflict in the south and a shaky political landscape at home.
The US Embassy in Beirut echoed the sentiment in a post on X, saying it stands “with great pride … with the people of Lebanon as they forge a brighter future – one of peace, prosperity and promise long overdue.” That statement underscores Washington’s dual role as both mediator and guarantor of the nascent deal, which seeks to permanently end hostilities with the Hezbollah armed group.
Last week, Israel and Lebanon signed the US-backed framework agreement, which includes calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the region — beginning with two pilot areas. However, Hezbollah has already rejected the accord, notably because it does not set a concrete timetable for an Israeli pullout.
Hezbollah’s involvement in the broader regional confrontation began on March 2, when it launched rocket fire at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. That attack drew a fierce Israeli response — a sustained campaign of airstrikes and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces seized large swaths of territory.
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, the death toll since March 2 has reached 4,303 killed and 12,202 wounded. The toll continues to rise as clashes persist despite the framework deal. On Saturday, Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed visited the heavily damaged city of Nabatieh and said authorities are working on a plan that includes “prefabricated houses and rent assistance payments” to help displaced residents return home or relocate nearby. Sayed noted that about 400,000 displaced people have already gone back to their areas in southern Lebanon.
But violence has not stopped. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that an Israeli Apache helicopter fired five missiles towards the town of Majdal Zoun on Saturday. Separately, one person was injured in an Israeli strike on the village of al-Mansouri. Later that day, the Israeli military said its troops killed an armed fighter in the “security zone” in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces remain stationed. “Earlier today, IDF soldiers identified an armed terrorist operating inside the Security Zone, in the Majdal Zoun area,” the military said, adding that troops “opened fire at the terrorist” and after extensive searches, “eliminated” him.
The dual track of diplomacy and continued fighting highlights the fragility of the US-brokered deal. Without Hezbollah’s buy-in, experts say, the agreement risks becoming a paper truce, while the humanitarian crisis in southern Lebanon — where entire villages have been flattened — demands urgent action. The coming weeks will test whether Washington’s leverage can push both sides toward a lasting ceasefire or whether the region slips back into all-out war.