Report: Aoun betting on Trump's pressure on Netanyahu

President Joseph Aoun has asked U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure Israel to move to a second phase of the "pilot zones" scheme that would encompass a bigger number of occupied villages, sources close to the Baabda Palace said.

The sources added, in remarks to al-Akhbar newspaper, that Aoun received a pledge from Trump to work on this matter in return for “expediting the procedures related to disarming Hezbollah.”

Later, reports circulated in Beirut that the meeting scheduled for August 4 in Rome between delegations from the Lebanese government and Israel would address the project of a new pilot zone including several occupied villages.

Sources in Baabda confirmed to al-Akhbar that the Lebanese Army has completed a detailed report on the first phase and fulfilled all its required obligations. However, the continued presence of Israeli forces remains the primary obstacle to completing its deployment, as the army refuses to conduct any operations in areas where Israeli forces are still present.

The sources say that Aoun is betting on Trump's success in persuading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories, thus preventing the collapse of the framework agreement.

However, Israeli media outlets, citing sources close to Netanyahu's office, reported that he informed his cabinet ministers that Trump was demanding a withdrawal from Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, and that the premier would explain the “risks” of such a move at this time.

Israeli reports also reiterated doubts about the Lebanese Army's ability to fulfill its obligations, particularly as to dismantling Hezbollah's infrastructure.