The situation in the Middle East, related to the war between the US and Iran, which has spread to other countries in the region, as well as the tension in Lebanon between Israel and the Tehran-backed "Hezbollah" movement, are leading topics in the world press. They are accompanied by comments on the meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Lebanese counterpart Joseph Aoun at the White House, BTA reported.
Great Britain
Donald Trump is considering a large-scale expansion of the war with Iran after Tehran launched new strikes against US military facilities in the Persian Gulf, including facilities on the "Amazon" in Bahrain and vital energy and water infrastructure in Kuwait, writes the British newspaper "Daily Telegraph".
The Pentagon admitted that nearly 100 American servicemen had been injured in recent weeks, as the latest round of fighting entered its tenth day, the publication noted. "Pakistan, Qatar and Egypt are trying to broker a 10-day ceasefire, even though Iran has hit two more tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. It is not known who will sit at the negotiating table, however," the newspaper in the United Kingdom draws attention.
In addition, the Houthis have declared a naval blockade in the Red Sea against Saudi Arabia, Iran admits that its struggling economy is now "the main battlefield", and the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his cabinet face an early diplomatic test in connection with the war in Iran, the "Daily Telegraph" indicates.
Donald Trump said last night that he would allow US airlines to resume direct flights to Lebanon more than 40 years after the US stopped this route, writes another British newspaper - "The Guardian", which recalls that the flights were suspended in 1985 by the Ronald Reagan administration after the hijacking of an airliner.
"I hereby instruct my administration to allow all US airlines to fly directly to Lebanon so Americans can easily visit this beautiful country," Trump said in a social media post after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Aoun arrived in Washington to push for a long-term de-escalation after months of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group, the Guardian reports.
The US has been pushing for peace in Lebanon, but its attention has been diverted by a new escalation of hostilities with Iran that has destabilised much of the Middle East. Trump recently said that, at least for now, he has little interest in negotiating with the Iranian leader to end the war, the British publication recalls.
Lebanon and Israel held unusual direct talks mediated by Washington in Rome. Aoun's visit to the White House was the first by a Lebanese president since 2009.
"This is a place and a country that has been treated very badly, and we will make sure that they are treated properly and with the respect that they deserve," Trump told Aoun during the White House meeting that concluded the Lebanese leader's four-day visit to Washington. "We will help him a lot," he added, without giving specific details.
Lebanon hopes that the talks in Washington will lead to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from large parts of southern Lebanon, which they currently occupy, and to support the Lebanese army to establish full control in areas where Hezbollah fighters have so far dominated, the Guardian emphasizes.
Trump commented on the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanon, stating that "they are in the process of regrouping." He again did not provide further details.
"Your vision is peace," Aoun said, addressing the US president, defining peace as the "legacy" of of his American counterpart, the British publication summarizes.
USA
The latest American casualties in combat operations show that the risk has shifted to troops located far from Iran's borders, writes the American newspaper "Washington Post".
In a war dominated by drones and long-range missiles, American forces tasked with protecting bases from attacks have become more vulnerable. All four American soldiers who died in recent days during renewed hostilities with Iran were part of air defense units, remaining at vulnerable bases so that they could protect others from ballistic missile and drone strikes, the publication notes.
Unlike the past two decades of war in Afghanistan and Iraq, where most deaths were among soldiers involved in infantry patrols and convoys, in this conflict such casualties are being reported among soldiers who have never set foot in Iran, but are dying in attacks targeting bases sometimes hundreds of kilometers away, is the emphasis of the "Washington Post". Since the beginning of the war in late February, Iran has launched about 8,500 missiles and drones against targets throughout the Middle East, with about 100 of those attacks passing through the defense systems of the United States and its partners, the newspaper reported, citing its informed source.
This change has put extraordinary pressure on the American armed forces - and in particular on air defense units - and they are being forced to adapt quickly, the "Washington Post" Brad Bowman, an Army veteran and director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "Autonomy, artificial intelligence and mass production are making the already difficult job of U.S. air and missile defense personnel even more challenging," he said.
Iran has been carrying out more aggressive strikes against Jordan in recent days, a U.S. official told The Washington Post, as the United States moves more fighter jets there.
In a statement yesterday, President Donald Trump appeared to suggest that U.S. forces there were relying on another country's air defense weapons to intercept the missiles, though he did not specify whose they were, the Washington Post reported. "When you let other people do your job, sometimes it doesn't work out so well," he said.
"The recent deaths of American soldiers have raised questions about the safety of American forces at bases in the Middle East, as these facilities are generally not designed to withstand retaliatory strikes. During the previous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fighting was fought within those two countries, not at regional bases. Iran's response has also been more extensive than expected - Tehran has struck both large bases and small facilities and civilian infrastructure, threatening to strike any country that supports US military operations," the "Washington Post" wrote.
According to a US military officer who served at "Muvafaq Salti" Air Force Base In Jordan, many of the buildings there are metal vans and tents with thin walls that cannot withstand attacks by rockets, mortars or drones, the American newspaper notes. But even newer facilities at some bases in the region, which now include thick walls, cannot provide protection against a direct hit from a ballistic missile, the military official told the publication.
France
Meeting with Trump at the White House, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun thanked his host for "this historic visit and the historic achievement achieved with the signing of the framework agreement," the French newspaper "Monde" wrote. "The ultimate goal" Trump's "goal" "is to put an end to the hostility between Lebanon and Israel forever," he added, quoted by the publication.
Beirut hopes that the talks at the White House will lead to the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the vast areas they currently occupy in the south of the country, as well as increased support for the Lebanese army so that it can assert its authority over territories previously controlled by Hezbollah militias, Le Monde emphasized.
During his meeting with Donald Trump, Joseph Aoun stressed the "urgent need for Israel's complete withdrawal" from his country, his office reported. This is a "fundamental step to strengthen stability so that the Lebanese state can extend its sovereignty over the entire territory and continue with the implementation of the joint tripartite framework", says a statement from the Lebanese presidential administration, quoted by "Monde".
In addition, the Lebanese president asked his American counterpart for significant assistance for the Lebanese army and urged him to "continue to support" the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). "Without the LAF, everything will collapse. We don't want that. I think President Trump doesn't want that either", stressed Joseph Aoun. In response, Trump said that he has "very concrete plans" to assist the Lebanese army, "Monde" notes.
This first meeting between the two heads of state takes place at a time when Washington is putting pressure on Beirut to disarm "Hezbollah" – condition set by Israel for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from southern Lebanon, the French newspaper draws attention.
Yesterday, the Lebanese army deployed in the village of Zawtar al-Sharqiya, in accordance with the framework agreement that provides for the creation of "pilot zones" from which Israel withdrew. But, in a sign of the instability of the situation, it later accused Israeli forces of firing "near its troops" in that village, notes "Le Monde".
Aoun, a former army chief, was elected president in January last year with Western support, marking a turning point in Lebanese politics, the French newspaper notes. "Since coming to power, he has pledged to disarm the powerful "Hezbollah". But the pro-Iranian organization, which refuses to submit, dragged the country into a new war with Israel in early March in a show of solidarity with Iran. Since then, more than 4,300 people have died in massive strikes by the Israeli army, which has also launched a ground offensive and occupied much of southern Lebanon. The violence has subsided since the two sides began talks in April in an attempt to separate the Lebanese issue from the war in the region," Le Monde summarizes.