Levant in July 2026: the most important developments in politics
In the Levant in July 2026, the main political story was the US-mediated track between Lebanon and Israel. Talks in Rome, in their sixth round by mid-July, dealt with implementing a framework deal, and on July 15 a US official said Israel had agreed to withdraw from two "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese army began deploying into those zones on July 20, and the Lebanese prime minister planted a flag in a southern town after an Israeli withdrawal. Israeli Defense Minister Katz had said Israel "does not need permission" to stay, and Trump reportedly urged Netanyahu to pull troops out of Lebanon and Syria. On July 21 President Aoun met Trump at the White House and demanded a full Israeli withdrawal from the south; Trump announced the resumption of direct flights between the two countries for the first time in decades. On July 28 the United States announced a new round of talks for August 4 in Rome, while reports said Israel would not leave further areas.
Syria was the second main theme. French President Macron visited Damascus on July 6 and 7, the first Western head of state to do so since the fall of Assad, and called for an economic partnership with President al-Sharaa; explosions were heard near his hotel. On July 8 Trump told Congress he intends to remove Syria from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and the process began on July 10. UN Secretary-General Guterres visited Damascus on July 25, the first UN chief to do so in 17 years, and urged the removal of all sanctions. On July 26 al-Sharaa said Syria seeks a security deal with Israel without ceding the Golan Heights. Syria also ruled out military intervention in Lebanon after Trump suggested it could help deal with Hezbollah.
The Gulf states, Egypt and other Arab governments repeatedly condemned Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and Jordan summoned the Iranian ambassador after missile strikes. On July 29 Trump said the United States would retaliate against Iran for the shelling of Jordan.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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