Project Watan: From the Washington Meeting to the Launch of Pilot Zones… A Historic Opportunity for Lebanon

Project Watan’s Executive Board held its weekly meeting, chaired by MP Neemat Frem and attended by the members. After deliberating on the latest developments, the Board issued the following statement:

• Project Watan commended the historic visit of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to Washington and his positive meeting with US President Donald Trump, considering it a pivotal milestone in extricating Lebanon from the region’s alignments and axes, while restoring the deeply rooted conviction shared across Lebanon’s sects, denominations, and regions: that Lebanon comes first, and that the Lebanese national interest must prevail above all else. From this standpoint begins the process of rebuilding the Lebanese state, establishing its administration, developing its system, and fostering sustainable growth.

In this context, Project Watan hopes that, if Lebanon succeeds in capitalizing on this opportunity, the presidential visit to the White House will pave the way for an international support conference dedicated to the reconstruction of southern Lebanon and other devastated areas.

• The Executive Board considered the swift launch and effective implementation of the decisions concerning the pilot zones by all parties to be particularly noteworthy. It also highlighted Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to Zawtar al-Gharbiya and the significance of this event.

The Lebanese Army’s entry into this town, under the auspices of the Lebanese authorities and the international community, represents a promising step. If this approach continues and expands, it will confirm that the negotiating track is the safest path toward the liberation of Lebanese territory.

• The participants addressed regional and international developments, particularly the suspension of the implementation of the understanding document reached between the United States and Iran, and the subsequent resumption of escalating military strikes and Iranian retaliatory actions against Arab countries. They described these developments as marking the beginning of a new round of the war that began on February 28, 2026, and has yet to end, having merely entered intermittent pauses that were used to prepare more effectively for the next round. Should this pattern continue, the third round could be large in scale, potentially leading not only to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz but also affecting the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Moreover, its repercussions would not remain confined to the Gulf countries but could expand to a much broader geographical area.

Project Watan hopes that no miscalculation by any Lebanese party will once again drag Lebanon into these conflicts and reconnect the various fronts.