Lead:
United States President Donald Trump has intervened directly to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to postpone a planned military operation in the Ali al-Taher area of southern Lebanon, according to Israeli Channel 15, seeking to prevent any escalation that could disrupt ongoing American diplomatic contacts with Iran. The development places Washington at the center of converging pressures over the Lebanon file, as Lebanese officials simultaneously insist on full sovereignty and opposition politicians challenge the legitimacy of the Washington Framework Agreement.
Details:
Israeli Channel 15, as cited by Al-Markazia and Al-Diyar, reported that Netanyahu agreed to delay the operation in the Ali al-Taher zone at Trump's direct request. Trump's concern, according to the same sources, is that a military flare-up in Lebanon could jeopardize the sensitive diplomatic channel his administration is maintaining with Tehran. The report adds a significant external dimension to what has been framed domestically in Lebanon as a sovereignty dispute.
Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar, speaking to the French newspaper Le Monde, drew a firm red line on territorial concessions. Al-Diyar and Newsd both reported his statement that Lebanon will not accept the loss of a single inch of its territory, and that the Framework Agreement explicitly stipulates a full Israeli withdrawal. His remarks were characterized as reflecting the official state position, cutting through what sources described as growing public confusion over the agreement's actual terms.
Within Lebanon, the political divisions over the Washington Framework remain sharp. Member of Parliament Melhem Khalaf told Al-Markazia that Israeli reports of the occupation army constructing transit gates inside Lebanese territory constitute a fundamental breach of the Framework Agreement. Meanwhile, MP Ali Khreiss, cited by Newsd, described the agreement as "booby-trapped with sedition," warning that Lebanon is entering a dangerous phase. By contrast, MP Cesar Abi Khalil of the Free Patriotic Movement stated, according to Newsd, that his party supports negotiation as the legitimate and peaceful means of securing Lebanese rights, while expressing reservations about the current formula.
On the broader diplomatic front, Al-Diyar reported that France and Italy have been leading international consultations for weeks aimed at formalizing new arrangements for post-agreement southern Lebanon, including a possible restructured international force. Separately, an informed source quoted by Al-Diyar indicated that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun's anticipated visit to Washington and his meeting with President Trump has not yet been scheduled, with expectations pointing to mid-July at the earliest.
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