US President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stood together at the White House on Tuesday, 21 July, pledging to advance a US-backed framework agreement aimed at ending decades of hostility between Lebanon and Israel, bolstering the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and curbing Hezbollah's military footprint in southern Lebanon.

A Framework Called Historic

Aoun described the recently signed US-sponsored agreement — announced in June — as a regional turning point, crediting Trump's team directly. 'I would like to thank President Trump, really, and his team for the historic visit and for the historic achievement that we did together by signing the framework with the ultimate objective of ending the state of hostility between Lebanon and Israel forever,' Aoun said. He added: 'I think, Mr. President, this will be your legacy.'

Trump, for his part, characterised Lebanon as 'a very mistreated country for a long period of time' and said Washington intended to play a central role in its recovery. 'We're going to help it a lot,' he said. 'We've already solved some of them for Lebanon.'

Strengthening the Lebanese Army

A significant focus of the talks was building up the LAF, which Washington views as a credible counterweight to Hezbollah. Aoun was direct in his appeal: 'I need two things from you: political support and supporting of the LAF. The LAF is the most trusted institution in the country... Without the LAF, everything will collapse.'

Trump indicated that concrete assistance plans were already being prepared, saying allied nations would also contribute and that Lebanon's forces were 'becoming much more self-sufficient.' This comes amid a broader US strategy of empowering state institutions over non-state armed groups across the region.

Israeli Redeployment and Border Tensions

On the question of Israeli military presence in southern Lebanon, Trump said Israeli forces were 'in the process of redeploying.' He also acknowledged reports that Israeli troops had reportedly opened fire near Lebanese army positions, saying: 'I just heard about that before this conference... and we'll be looking at that.' The framework agreement is designed to facilitate a phased Israeli redeployment alongside an expansion of Lebanese army control in the south.

Abraham Accords and Regional Normalisation

Trump suggested Lebanon could eventually join the broader Abraham Accords normalisation effort, calling the accords 'a tremendous success' and saying more countries were likely to join 'pretty soon.' He added: 'I think Lebanon has a very important place.' He also floated the prospect of resuming direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon, saying: 'I could see that happening, absolutely.'

Iran, Houthis, and Wider Security Warnings

The discussions extended to broader regional threats. On Iran, Trump claimed Tehran 'desperately' sought negotiations, while simultaneously warning that the US would strike 'any site where they're even thinking about nuclear.' Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that any resumption of Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea would draw a disproportionate response: 'If they're going to shoot at commercial shipping, then we're going to hit them... ten times harder.'

The White House meeting marks the most visible diplomatic engagement between Washington and Beirut in years, and its durability will depend on whether the LAF can assert control in the south and whether the framework's phased timelines hold.