Trump to consider putting more pressure on Israel

The United States will consider putting pressure on Israel to make it withdraw its troops from Lebanon, U.S. President Donald Trump said.

"Well, I'll look. I just heard about that before this conference just happened, and we'll be looking at that," Trump said.

He responded to a request to clarify whether the U.S. would be willing to exert additional pressure on Israel after Lebanon accused Israel of shelling their positions in the "pilot zone" in the city of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah in the south of the country.

In the morning, a mechanized column of the Lebanese army entered Zawtar al-Gharbiyah, from which Israeli troops had previously been withdrawn. According to the Asharq al Awsat newspaper, the Lebanese army must demonstrate its ability to maintain stability in the region and begin disarming supporters of the Shiite organization Hezbollah.

An agreement to establish the first "pilot zone" was reached on July 15 during the sixth round of Lebanese-Israeli negotiations. On June 26, a framework agreement was signed in Washington, which stipulates that the Lebanese army will gradually regain "effective sovereign control over the entire territory of the country," while Israel will withdraw its troops from the occupied areas.