US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, 21 July pledged sustained American support for Lebanon, vowing to help the country emerge from decades of conflict and backing efforts to strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) as part of a US-brokered framework aimed at permanently ending hostilities between Lebanon and Israel.

White House Meeting: Key Pledges

Hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Oval Office, Trump described Lebanon as 'a very mistreated country for a long period of time' and said his administration was firmly committed to restoring stability. 'We're going to help it a lot,' Trump said during opening remarks. 'We've already met a couple of times, and we've had some good meetings, and we are going to solve a lot of problems. We've already solved some of them for Lebanon.'

On the question of Hezbollah, Trump said: 'As you know, there's a Hezbollah problem, but we've done some things that I think the world will take notice of.' He did not elaborate publicly on the specific measures taken.

Aoun Calls It a 'Historic Achievement'

President Aoun thanked Trump and his team for what he described as a 'historic visit' and credited Washington's role in securing a recently signed framework agreement between the two countries. '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.'

Aoun also underscored that both nations shared a common vision. 'It's about time for Lebanon and for the whole region to be stable and secure,' he said. 'I know your vision is peace; your vision is stability and I think my vision coincides with your vision.'

Lebanese Army at the Centre of Stability Plans

Aoun stressed that military institutional support was non-negotiable. 'I need two things from you: political support and support for the LAF,' he said. 'The LAF is the most trusted institution in the country. Without the LAF, everything will collapse.' Trump indicated that concrete plans for security assistance were already in place, adding that the Lebanese army was also 'becoming much more self-sufficient.'

The US-sponsored framework agreement, signed in June, seeks to expand the Lebanese army's control in southern Lebanon, reduce Hezbollah's military footprint, and facilitate a phased redeployment of Israeli forces. Trump confirmed that Israeli forces were 'in the process of redeploying.'

Abraham Accords and Regional Normalisation

Trump reiterated his support for expanding the Abraham Accords and suggested Lebanon could eventually join the broader regional normalisation process. 'The Abraham Accords have been, I think, a tremendous success,' he said. 'I think you're going to see a lot of countries joining pretty soon... I think Lebanon has a very important place.' When asked whether direct commercial flights between the United States and Lebanon could resume, Trump replied: 'I could see that happening, absolutely.'

What Comes Next

Ahead of the talks, White House officials had signalled that Washington remained committed to supporting Lebanon's economic recovery and long-term stability. The meeting marks a significant diplomatic milestone, coming as the Trump administration pushes to advance implementation of the June framework and position Lebanon as a potential partner in a wider Middle East realignment. Whether the LAF can consolidate control in the south — and whether Hezbollah's political influence can be durably curtailed — will determine how quickly that vision translates into ground reality.