Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets Donald Trump amid pressure to disarm Hezbollah
via SeneNews7 min read
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with Donald Trump at the White House, marking the first visit by a Lebanese president to Washington since 2009. The meeting occurred as the Lebanese army began a test deployment in Zawtar al-Gharbiya, a southern area recently evacuated by Israel with US support. This deployment is part of an agreement with Israel, sponsored by Washington, to establish "pilot zones" for Israeli withdrawal. However, the situation remains unstable, with the Lebanese army accusing Israeli forces of firing near its troops in Zawtar al-Gharbiya. Washington is pressuring Beirut to disarm the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, a condition Israel has set for its complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon. President Aoun, elected in January 2025 with Western backing, has pledged to disarm Hezbollah. However, the group's refusal led to renewed conflict with Israel in March, resulting in over 4,300 deaths from Israeli strikes and a ground offensive. While hostilities decreased after April negotiations, a memorandum of understanding between Tehran and Washington on June 17, which included a halt to hostilities in Lebanon, has since collapsed. Aoun plans to request substantial aid for the Lebanese army and ask Trump to pressure Israel to withdraw from the south. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with President Aoun, praising the Lebanese government's efforts to restore sovereignty and disarm Hezbollah. Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute, suggests Trump wil
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