US President Donald Trump pledged his support for Lebanon this week during a visit to the White House by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.

A four-decade ban on US airlines flying to the country will be overturned, Mr Trump said, who also told of concrete plans to support the Lebanese Armed Forces.

This comes at a time when the government in Beirut is under pressure to prove it can deliver on an agreement it signed with Israel and the US in June.

The trilateral framework states that Lebanese forces must disarm Hezbollah and reassert control in areas dominated by the group, before Israel “redeploys” its troops from areas it occupies in Lebanon. Critics say the deal imposes the heavier obligations on Lebanon.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people remain forcibly displaced from their homes in southern towns and villages, where Israeli attacks have caused mass destruction.

In this episode of Beyond the Headlines, host Nada AlTaher looks at the opportunities and challenges the country faces as it tries to bridge the gap between dialogue and the reality on the ground. She speaks to Nada Homsi, The National’s correspondent in Lebanon, and Paul Salem, senior associate at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

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