Lebanon remains everyone’s playground as Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah’s disarmament show no sign of progress

LONDON – Prospects for a ceasefire in the Gulf remain poor, as the United States and Iran have continued to exchange military strikes.But in another part of the Middle East, the chances of a more peaceful outcome can improve after US President Donald Trump welcomed at the White House on July 21 Lebanese President Joseph Aoun for discussions about a withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of Lebanon they currently occupy.President Aoun is the first Lebanese head of state to be received in Washington in two decades, in itself a diplomatic triumph for the small Middle Eastern country. And Trump received him warmly, announcing that US airline companies would soon be allowed to resume direct flights to the Lebanese capital of Beirut, a boon for Lebanon’s significant tourism industry.But on the