Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make his first visit to the White House this week to present a plan to US President Donald Trump on how to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group and ensure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.
Aoun, who served as commander of the US-backed Lebanese 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. Tuesday’s meeting comes at a critical time for Lebanon, with Israeli troops occupying the south of the country and hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remaining refugees following Israeli attacks.
Hezbollah steadfastly rejected direct government talks with Israel – and the government’s efforts to disarm it. In comments published by his office last week, Aoun said he would ask Trump to “exert the necessary pressure on Israel” to implement the June 26 agreement between Lebanon and Israel brokered by the United States. The plan aims to disarm Hezbollah, see the ongoing withdrawal of Israeli troops and create conditions for peaceful relations between the two countries.
A Lebanese official said Aoun would hand Trump a written proposal on how to dismantle Hezbollah’s arsenal. The official said Aoun believes that only Trump has the power to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon regain its sovereignty.
Disarmament of Hezbollah
Aoun, 62, became president last year just before Trump began his second term in the White House. The United States welcomed Aoun’s election.
