Asked about Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri warning that the agreement with Israel would “cause a civil war”, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says that the framework “does not require the endorsement of parliament”.

“It is a part of our constitution; it is the prerogative of the president,” Aoun tells reporters at the White House alongside US President Donald Trump. “We are committed to it, and I think the speaker of the parliament really wants to see the end of this war; he is from the south.

“He is actually supportive of what we are doing, but we need to be careful. His position as speaker and a leader of the Shia community — we have to understand how critical his position is,” Aoun adds, emphasising that Berri is a “man of state” and is “supportive of ending the war once and for all”.