Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, right, speaks alongside Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent as President Donald Trump meets with President Joseph Aoun of Lebanon in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Tuesday, July 21, 2026. The Lebanese army deployed on Tuesday in a village in southern Lebanon after Israeli forces withdrew from it, marking the first step in a phased U.S.-backed plan to end the conflict. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times) By GENEVIEVE GLATSKY and…
