Lebanese skeptical of Israel agreement as violence continues

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun met with President Trump at the White House, marking the first such visit in nearly two decades, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between Lebanon and Israel under the Trump administration. A trilateral agreement was signed last month, intended to end a long history of conflict. However, the deal faces significant opposition in Southern Lebanon, where violence continues.

The shops are all gone, and Nabatieh, as you see, is mostly destroyed. With these strikes, they set us back 10, 15, 20 years for Nabatieh to return to what it once was.

Residents in Nabatieh, a town devastated by Israeli aerial campaigns, express skepticism, with one resident stating, "Israel are criminals who like to destroy. They don't want us to have a good country." The agreement requires Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah before a "progressive redeployment" of Israeli troops, but many fear an indefinite Israeli occupation as the deal does not stipulate a timeline for withdrawal. Israeli attacks have continued since the agreement, killing dozens, including kindergarten principal Esperanza Ghandour, leading to accusations of intentional targeting and a lack of condemnation from Lebanese officials.