Trump's truce provides cover for the peace option
A significant new step was taken on Wednesday, April 16, towards restoring Lebanon's autonomy in decision-making, free from any regional dictates. A ten-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon (including Hezbollah) came into effect at midnight on Thursday night, following two telephone conversations that President Donald Trump held in the late afternoon with President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The White House chief himself announced the ceasefire in the early evening during a casual conversation with press correspondents. The announcement of this ceasefire under the auspices of the Trump Administration carries twofold strategic importance: firstly, it consolidates at the highest level the separation of the Lebanese and Iranian aspects of the ongoing conflict, as Tehran has insistently attempted in recent days to place any ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel under its control, with the aim of controlling Lebanon; and secondly, it largely legitimizes and reinforces the Executive's decision to engage in direct negotiations with Israel, with the prospect of a peace agreement between the two countries. President Trump also indicated, after the ceasefire announcement, that he had tasked Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Razin Caine with working towards achieving a lasting Lebanese-Israeli peace. The US president also emphasized his intention to invite President Aoun and Mr. Netanyahu to a meeting at the White House within two weeks.
This strong American involvement in the process of resolving the outstanding disputes between Lebanon and Israel is vital for the Lebanese government. The Israeli Prime Minister declared Wednesday evening that the Israeli army will maintain its presence in southern Lebanon, up to the Litani River, in order to consolidate the buffer zone extending ten kilometers from the international border. Lebanon will thus need the support of the United States to negotiate, under the best possible conditions, an Israeli withdrawal and the conclusion of a peace agreement, with the dismantling of Hezbollah's militia apparatus as a prerequisite and essential step. Hezbollah has, moreover, been declared illegal by the Council of Ministers.
The members of parliament in Beirut...
It is worth noting in this context that the government received significant parliamentary political support on Wednesday. Members of Parliament from Beirut, representing all religious and political affiliations, held a congress on Wednesday at the Phoenicia Hotel under the theme: "For a secure Beirut, a Beirut free from all illegal weapons." Several MPs, representing the major parties in Parliament, spoke at the event to unequivocally support the government's position regarding the illegality of Hezbollah's militia, the illegality of the presence of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the country, and the necessity of monopolizing weapons in the hands of legal forces. In short, this congress of Beirut MPs unequivocally secures popular legitimacy and fundamental political cover for the sovereignist policies pursued by the presidency and the government, much to the chagrin of Hezbollah and the mullahs' regime, which seize every opportunity to denounce the government's peace policy.