Lebanese President Joseph Aoun marked the United States’ Independence Day on July 4 with a diplomatic message to President Donald Trump that carried weight beyond standard holiday pleasantries. In his congratulatory cable, Aoun expressed hope that the two nations could “open a new page of hope” and explicitly called on Washington to continue “always standing beside” Lebanon. The language signals Beirut’s urgent desire for sustained American engagement as the country navigates a precarious political transition and a deepening economic crisis.
Aoun assumed the presidency in January 2025 after a protracted parliamentary vacuum that lasted more than two years. A former army commander, his election broke a long-standing deadlock between rival political blocs, notably the Iran-backed Hezbollah and its opponents. His ascent was widely viewed as a concession to international — particularly Western and Arab — pressure for a leader capable of implementing reforms and restoring state authority. Since taking office, Aoun has prioritized reasserting the state’s monopoly on weapons, a direct challenge to Hezbollah’s arsenal, and kickstarting negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock bailout funds frozen since 2022.
The United States remains Lebanon’s most critical external partner. Washington provides over $100 million annually in direct budget support to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), the institution Aoun led for eight years. This funding keeps the military operational — paying salaries, maintaining equipment, and securing borders — effectively preventing a total collapse of state security apparatuses. Beyond military aid, US influence is decisive at the IMF, where American backing is essential for any rescue program. Lebanon’s $3 billion IMF staff-level agreement, struck in 2022, has stalled due to the parliament’s failure to pass required banking secrecy and capital control laws. Aoun’s appeal to Trump is, in effect, a request for Washington to keep the spigots open and maintain political pressure on Lebanese legislators to enact reforms.
The plea for steadfast US support arrives amid heightened volatility on Lebanon’s southern border. Since October 2023, near-daily exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel have displaced over 90,000 Lebanese civilians and killed hundreds. While a fragile cessation of hostilities held through late 2024, the risk of escalation remains high. The US acts as the primary mediator in indirect talks to demarcate the land border and enforce UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for the disarmament of non-state actors south of the Litani River. Aoun needs American diplomatic muscle to ensure any long-term arrangement strengthens the Lebanese state rather than entrenching militia control.
For the average citizen, the trajectory of US-Lebanon relations translates directly into daily survival. Continued American funding for the army means soldiers get paid and checkpoints function, preventing a security vacuum. US support for an IMF program is the only viable path to restructuring a banking sector that has frozen depositors’ savings — currently estimated at over $100 billion in losses — since 2019. Without external pressure, the political class has repeatedly blocked reforms that would unlock aid and restart the economy. Aoun’s message underscores a simple reality: Lebanon’s path out of collapse runs through Washington. If the US disengages, the “new page of hope” he envisions may never get written.
Image: Photo: Onur AK · Pexels
Based on reporting from Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera.
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