Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has urged US President Donald Trump to keep backing Lebanon's army, warning that southern Lebanon risks sliding back into 1970s-style chaos without Washington's support.
Speaking at the Oval Office on Tuesday, Aoun asked Trump to keep supporting Lebanon's national army, expressing full confidence in the Lebanese Armed Forces and its leadership.
Aoun criticised Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon into war with Israel through rocket fire, and is now pushing Trump to lean on Israel to withdraw fully from southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese army began deploying on Tuesday to one of three "pilot zones" agreed with Israel, starting in the village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya. Hours later, the army said Israeli forces opened fire near its deploying units, warning the incident "will hinder the implementation of deployment in the pilot zones".
Aoun's visit marks the first time a Lebanese president has been welcomed to Washington since 2009.
Hezbollah outreach
Trump said that he would speak to Hezbollah if Aoun asked him to do it, adding that he is willing to engage with people others might oppose speaking to.
"I would speak to Hezbollah. I speak to everybody. I'll speak to people that a lot of people think I shouldn't be speaking to, and things work out," said Trump.
"I would say this: if the president wanted me to speak to Hezbollah, you know he's lived with Hezbollah for a long time, and if the president wanted me to speak to Hezbollah, I would.”
Asked about a full withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, Trump said Israeli forces were redeploying.
"They're in the process of redeploying to other sections, and again, they get along very well. That was a great agreement they signed with Lebanon, and they're redeploying," he said.
Trump said Lebanon had been mistreated for a long time and deserved greater respect.
Iran threats escalate
Answering questions from journalists, Trump said the US has “no interest” in meeting Iran until Tehran is ready for “meaningful” nuclear talks, despite claiming Iran is “desperately” seeking dialogue.
Asked about reports of centrifuges moved to Pickaxe Mountain, Trump said that Washington lacks confirmation on this matter but warned the site will be hit "pretty soon, and very heavily".
He separately predicted Iran would need 20 to 25 years to rebuild from current damage, insisting US strikes are "not finished".
Houthi warning
Trump also warned Washington will "take care of" the Houthis should the group follow through on threats to blockade Saudi ports, citing past US action against the group.
He told reporters the US has previously dealt with the Houthis and has "haven't heard from them in a while since we did what we did originally," pointing to earlier strikes as a deterrent.
Trump added that Washington has had "no problem" with the Houthis since then, but signalled the US would not hesitate to act again if the group disrupts Red Sea shipping routes.
