Berri after Aoun-Trump meeting: The benchmark is implementation on the ground, not the political optics

Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri stressed that assessing the outcome of the summit that brought together President Joseph Aoun and US President Donald Trump should be based on the practical steps it leads to on the ground, not on the atmosphere of the meeting or its appearance.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Berri emphasized that the priority remains consolidating the ceasefire and completing the Israeli withdrawal. He said what took place in the town of Zawtar al-Gharbiya does not amount to a full withdrawal, describing it as limited amid ongoing demolition operations targeting homes, residential neighborhoods and infrastructure, in addition to continued attacks on residents at the outskirts of the occupied villages.

He said the summit’s success should be measured by the extent to which these commitments are fulfilled in the field, recalling his previous position calling for promises to be translated into tangible achievements, saying: "I said before: Deliver achievements and put them before my eyes... and that has not happened yet."

Commenting on US President Donald Trump’s remark that Berri would join the track once he sees progress in implementing the agreement, the speaker replied jokingly: "It seems Trump understands me better than the Lebanese do."