Shehadi says Aoun’s US diplomacy backed army deployment, advanced state authority plan
Displaced Affairs Minister and Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadi said coordination between President Joseph Aoun’s diplomatic efforts in Washington and the Lebanese army’s deployment on the ground demonstrated the success of Lebanon’s strategy of advancing state authority through diplomacy.
In an interview, Shehadi said Aoun’s meeting with US President Donald Trump covered extending state authority, Israel’s withdrawal, support for the Lebanese Armed Forces, reconstruction and the issue of illegal weapons. He said Aoun presented Trump with a clear plan to address Hezbollah’s arms and secured US backing for Lebanon’s approach, which he said had begun to translate into action with the army’s deployment to the first pilot area in Zawtar El Gharbiyeh and the start of measures to place weapons under state control north and south of the Litani River.
Shehadi said no political party could disrupt air traffic or obstruct Lebanon’s political and economic course, including operations at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, adding that the country had successfully separated its internal track from broader regional developments. He said Lebanon had rejected linking its future to US-Iran negotiations and instead secured American support for its ceasefire-based diplomatic approach. He also expressed confidence in the army’s ability to carry out its mission, saying the coming days would demonstrate its readiness to implement the state’s plan under the political leadership of President Aoun.
