Trump announces 'food distribution centers'
"We will set up food centers where people can come in freely — without limits. We will not have fences," he told reporters in Scotland, where he was meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
New pro-Trump billboard near Beirut
A new billboard featuring U.S. President Donald Trump appeared Sunday in Sin al-Fil, Beirut. Witnesses said the banner was installed on the roof of a building near the Jisr al-Wati bridge. 'We know that you love Lebanon' is written in large letters next to a smiling portrait of Trump, along with a quote from famed Lebanese writer Gibran Khalil Gibran: 'The truly great man is he who would master no one, and be mastered by none.' The phrase comes from Gibran's 1926 poetry collection Sand and Foam. Social media backlash and propaganda The billboard drew swift backlash on social media, with some users comparing it to pro-Iranian axis and Hezbollah propaganda. 'But where is Lebanese sovereignty??? Staggering. How is such a thing possible?' one user wrote. Another commented: 'Here's how you have to deal with Trump: you steer him in the desired direction using flattery.' The origin of the billboard remains unclear. Unlike other political advertisements in Lebanon, it carries no signature or dedication. This campaign is similar to the 'Mabrouk [congratulations] to Dr. Massad Boulos' posters that appeared across Lebanon in January, after Boulos — the father of Trump's Lebanese son-in-law — was appointed adviser for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. That campaign was reportedly backed by Tony Fayad, a businessman from northern Lebanon. At the same time, other posters featuring Lebanese President Joseph Aoun with the slogan 'Make Lebanon Great Again' — echoing Trump's 2016 campaign — were displayed around Beirut for months. Since Trump took office in January, his special envoys — first Morgan Ortagus, then Tom Barrack — have made repeated visits to Lebanon, delivering U.S. demands to local authorities. These have included calls for Hezbollah's disarmament and urgent economic reforms, particularly banking sector restructuring. In a May speech at the Saudi-American Economic Forum in Riyadh, Trump said he was 'ready to help Lebanon,' praising its new leadership and advocating for a 'more productive partnership with the United States.' 'My administration is ready to help Lebanon create a future of economic development and peace with its neighbors. There are wonderful people in Lebanon — doctors, lawyers, great professionals. I hear it all the time,' Trump said.
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
During a visit with Michel Aoun, Hezbollah insists Israeli withdrawal should be 'priority'
A Hezbollah delegation, led by MP Ali Fayad, was met Monday morning in Rabieh by former President Michel Aoun, where they discussed the cease-fire with Israel and disarmament, emphasizing the party's condition that Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory must precede any other discussion, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA) and al-Manar. During their meeting, the delegation and the former president discussed the "latest developments," at a time when the question of Hezbollah's arsenal is dividing Lebanon's political scene. A Cabinet meeting is scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, in Baabda to discuss this issue, which has hardened the positions of the various parties in recent days. According to the NNA, those who took part in the meeting discussed "views on the implementation of the cease-fire agreement provisions," which came into effect on Nov. 27, 2024, after 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel. The agreement, which notably calls for the group's disarmament, its total withdrawal from south of the Litani and a halt to Israeli violations, is breached daily by Israel, which conducts attacks in Lebanon and continues to occupy five positions along the border. The parties agreed on the importance of "national cohesion" in order to achieve solutions that will maintain the country's stability and security. Fayad calls for a 'unified Lebanese position' At the end of the meeting, Fayad stated, according to al-Manar, that he was "open to a resolution through the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701," which serves as the basis for the truce agreement. "We must respect the sequence of measures as established in the ministerial statement, the inaugural speech, and the Lebanese document submitted to American mediator Tom Barrack," argued the Hezbollah MP, who said that "the first step must be Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territories, cessation of hostilities, and release of prisoners — steps that are imperative before addressing any other issues." Denouncing an attempt to "bypass" the truce agreement, he called for a "unified and firm Lebanese position regarding Israeli withdrawal." President Joseph Aoun has in recent months favored dialogue with Hezbollah over the weapons issue. He raised his tone last week in a speech calling on the party and its base to "place their trust in the state," while calling on the party's critics, notably the Lebanese Forces, to avoid "provocations." The Lebanese Forces and their allies, as well as the United States, call for the establishment of a specific timetable for disarmament. Michel Aoun was allied with the party during his term (2016-2022) before ties grew strained between the Free Patriotic Movement – which was founded by the former president – and Hezbollah. The FPM notably strongly criticized Hezbollah's decision to open a "support front" for Hamas in Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, following the deadly attack by the Palestinian movement in Israel and the start of the Israeli army's violent offensive on the enclave. Relations between the two former allies, who solidified their understanding on Feb. 6, 2006, also became tense due to Hezbollah's support for a presidential bid by Sleiman Frangieh, a well-known opponent of FPM leader and Michel Aoun's son-in-law, Gebran Bassil. After more than two years with the presidency vacant, it was finally Joseph Aoun who was elected in January 2025.
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 hours ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Israeli ex-security chiefs urge Trump to help end Gaza war
More than 600 retired Israeli security officials, including former heads of intelligence agencies, have urged U.S. President Donald Trump to pressure their own government to end the war in Gaza. "It is our professional judgement that Hamas no longer poses a strategic threat to Israel," the former officials wrote in an open letter shared with the media on Monday, calling on Trump to "steer" Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decisions.
