Aoun to discuss with Trump his vision for Lebanon following Israeli withdrawal: Source

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will discuss with US President Donald Trump his vision for Lebanon following Israel’s withdrawal from the south, a source familiar with his preparations said.

“Aoun’s framework includes a military plan as well as socioeconomic possibilities,” the source said.

Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon’s 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.

The meeting comes at a crucial moment for Lebanon: Israeli troops are occupying a swathe of the country’s south, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced following Israeli strikes and Hezbollah has firmly rejected the government’s direct talks with Israel – and efforts by the state to strip it of its arms.

Aoun arrived in Washington at the weekend and met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, telling him that Israel should begin withdrawing from southern Lebanon in line with a US-brokered June 26 agreement between Lebanon and Israel.

That deal aims to disarm Hezbollah, see a progressive Israeli troop withdrawal and set the stage for peaceful ties between the two countries.

Hours ahead of Aoun’s meeting with Trump, Lebanese army troops began taking control of territory vacated by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon – the first test of the plan.