Lebanese President Heads to Washington for Key Meetings
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun departed from Beirut on Saturday for Washington, where he is set to meet with former President Donald Trump. This visit comes following discussions between Lebanon and Israel that recently took place in Italy.
This marks the first visit to Washington by a Lebanese leader since Michel Sleiman met with Barack Obama back in 2009.
During his trip, Aoun plans to talk with various American officials about Lebanon’s challenges and how to enhance the ceasefire, especially in the southern regions of Lebanon. Discussions will also focus on the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territories.
Since April, Lebanon and Israel have been engaged in U.S.-mediated talks to reach a peaceful resolution and put an end to the ongoing tensions with Hezbollah. On June 26, they established a framework agreement in Washington that requires the Israeli military to withdraw from southern Lebanon, allowing the Lebanese army to deploy in two initial “pilot zones.”
However, this agreement hinges on the disarmament of Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed group that has openly rejected both the agreement and the negotiations.
After the latest round of discussions in Rome, both countries reportedly agreed on how to implement the pilot zones. According to a Lebanese military source, the Lebanese army has started increasing patrols in villages near areas occupied by Israeli forces, such as Froun in the Bint Jbeil district, in preparation for moving forward with the pilot zones.
The situation escalated on March 2, when Hezbollah began targeting Israel in support of its ally, Tehran. In response, Israel launched airstrikes and a ground offensive, maintaining a presence in southern Lebanon, which it calls a “security zone.”
Recently, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported new airstrikes in two towns on the edge of this security zone, located in the Tyre and Nabatieh regions.
In light of these tensions, the U.S. embassy has issued a warning for Americans to avoid travel to Lebanon.
