Aoun to meet Trump at White House, expected to demand full Israeli withdrawal
The meeting marks the first visit by a Lebanese head of state to the White House in nearly 20 years
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is expected to meet with US President Donald Trump Tuesday at the White House. American diplomatic sources told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that Aoun is looking for a commitment from Trump to a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
The US is currently coordinating with Israel in the latter's withdrawal from several areas in southern Lebanon as part of a "pilot zones" operation to see if the Lebanese Armed Forces are capable of dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure and networks. Washington is expecting Aoun to commit to a clear timetable for addressing Hezbollah's weapons, based on the view that the current stage constitutes a rare opportunity that will not return.
Discussions regarding the cooperation between Lebanon and Syria on Hezbollah's disarmament is reportedly also expected to be at the center of the meeting. The US presented a new idea for cooperation between Lebanon and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa regarding Hezbollah's disarmament, based on the assumption that Hezbollah has lost a significant portion of its military and logistical capabilities after the fall of the Assad regime. The Trump Administration believes that al-Sharaa's rule in Syria enables, for the first time, the severing of supply routes that allowed for the transfer of weapons and military equipment from Iran to Lebanon, through Syria.
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The Americans believe coordination between Beirut and Damascus could facilitate dismantling the military capabilities remaining in Hezbollah's hands.
Aoun, who served as commander of Lebanon's US-backed army before being elected president last year, is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House, where he will meet Trump face-to-face for the first time. Aoun arrived in Washington over the weekend and met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, telling him that Israel should begin withdrawing from southern Lebanon in line with the US-brokered June 26 trilateral agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
A Lebanese official said Aoun believes only Trump possesses the leverage needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty.
The meeting comes at a crucial moment for Lebanon: Israeli troops are occupying a swath of the country's south, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians remain displaced following Israeli strikes, and Hezbollah has firmly rejected the government's direct talks with Israel and efforts by the state to strip it of its arms.