Lebanon’s Aoun to meet Trump in Washington to discuss Israel talks

What the report says

Al Jazeera reports that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has left for Washington, where he is due to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House next week. The visit, made at Trump’s invitation, is expected to focus on the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel’s continued presence in parts of southern Lebanon, and efforts to reinforce Lebanese state authority nationwide. The Lebanese presidency said the agenda includes restoring security and stability and securing an Israeli withdrawal from the south.

The trip follows another round of US-mediated Lebanese-Israeli talks in Rome. According to US officials cited in the report, the sides agreed on next steps for establishing “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon, where Israeli forces would start pulling back and the Lebanese army would assume security responsibilities. Al Jazeera says the zones are part of a June framework intended to phase out Israel’s military presence, but the arrangement does not set a firm withdrawal deadline and links pullbacks to the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups — a condition Hezbollah rejects.

The talks are taking place while violence continues. Al Jazeera says Israeli forces remain inside what Israel calls a 10km security zone along the border and continue periodic strikes. Lebanese state media reported Israeli attacks Saturday in areas near Tyre and Nabatieh, while Israel’s military said it targeted a Hezbollah cell near Tebnit after detecting a Hezbollah drone, alleging a ceasefire violation. Hezbollah had no immediate comment.

Al Jazeera says this would be the first Washington visit by a Lebanese president since Michel Sleiman met Barack Obama in 2009. The outlet, citing Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health, reports that more than 4,000 Lebanese have been killed and more than one million displaced since the war expanded in March.