Israel Thins Out of Lebanon as Beirut Promises to End the War "Forever"
A phased IDF pullout and a Lebanese president at the White House mark de-escalation on one front even as the Iran war rages — Israel dictating terms from strength.
The IDF began a trial pullout from its southern Lebanon buffer zone on July 21, with the Lebanese army moving into vacated villages. The same day President Joseph Aoun met Trump — the first White House visit by a Lebanese leader since 2009 — declaring Lebanon would end hostilities with Israel "forever" and asking US backing to disarm Hezbollah. Trump said he was open to speaking directly with the group if Beirut requested it, an offer that cuts against Israeli preferences.
Assessment: Israeli coverage frames a weakened Hezbollah and an assertive Lebanese state as a win dictated from strength, with Washington as guarantor. The open question its reporters raise is sequencing — whether the pullout is conditioned on real disarmament or precedes it. Trump's openness to direct Hezbollah contact is the eyebrow-raiser.