Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the success of this week’s meeting between US President Donald Trump and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun should be judged by developments on the ground, particularly the implementation of a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.
In remarks published on Wednesday by the newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri said, “What matters now, after the summit between Presidents Trump and Aoun in Washington, are the results on the ground, not just the way things appeared.”
He said that the key test would be “establishing a ceasefire and implementing withdrawals,” adding that these objectives had not yet been achieved.
Referring to the reported Israeli withdrawal from the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya on Monday, Berri said the move could “hardly be considered a withdrawal,” arguing that the town had not been fully occupied. He also alleged that Israeli strikes on homes, civilian neighborhoods, infrastructure, and residents near villages in southern Lebanon were continuing.
READ: Israeli shelling, incursions continue in southern Lebanon as army deployment enters 2nd day
