Aoun heads to Washington for Trump talks on Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire
Lebanon’s president will discuss a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawals and state control of territory during his first Washington visit as head of state.
By Lucas Ferreira · Science & Environment Writer
3 min read
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is traveling to Washington to meet President Donald Trump as the United States presses for a longer-term settlement between Israel and Lebanon. The visit puts the White House at the center of efforts to shore up a ceasefire, arrange Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon and address Hezbollah’s arms.
Aoun left Lebanon on Saturday after an invitation from Trump, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. The Lebanese presidency said Aoun is expected to meet Trump and other senior US officials next week.
According to the presidency, the talks will cover ways to strengthen the ceasefire, secure Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon and “restore security and stability” across Lebanon. The presidency said the discussions will also focus on extending the Lebanese state’s authority over all Lebanese territory.
The trip will be the first by a Lebanese head of state to Washington since Michel Sleiman met President Barack Obama in 2009, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
Talks follow Rome meeting
Aoun’s visit follows another round of US-mediated talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Rome. US officials said after those talks that the sides had agreed on next steps for creating “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon.
Under that plan, Israeli troops would begin leaving designated areas and the Lebanese army would assume security responsibility there, according to US officials. The zones are part of a framework agreement reached in June that aims to gradually end Israel’s military presence in southern Lebanon.
The framework does not set a deadline for Israel’s withdrawal, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported. Instead, withdrawals are linked to Hezbollah and other armed groups giving up their weapons, a condition Hezbollah has rejected.
Strikes continue during diplomacy
Israeli forces remain inside what Israel calls a 10km security zone along the border, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters. Israeli officials have said troops will stay there as long as Hezbollah remains armed.
Lebanese state media reported new Israeli attacks Saturday on two towns near the edge of the zone in the Tyre and Nabatieh regions. The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah cell near Tebnit in southern Lebanon after soldiers identified a Hezbollah drone in the area, saying the activity violated ceasefire understandings.
Hezbollah did not immediately comment on the Israeli military’s statement, according to the report. The group has rejected both the negotiations and the June framework agreement, and it has refused calls to disarm.
Hezbollah says continued pressure from Iran, its ally, is the only way to end the war and bring about Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters reported.
The latest war followed months of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that began after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023. The conflict widened in March after the United States and Israel attacked Iran, according to Al Jazeera, AFP and Reuters.
A ceasefire is in place, but Israeli forces remain in parts of southern Lebanon and continue periodic strikes while negotiations over a longer-term settlement continue. More than 4,000 Lebanese people have been killed and more than 1 million displaced since March, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.