Aoun meets Trump as Lebanon begins US-brokered Israel “pilot zone” operations

Aoun seeks Trump backing for Israel pullback as south Lebanon ‘pilot zones’ begin Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is in Washington for a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump, as the first “pilot zone” operations under a US-brokered framework agreement with Israel began in southern Lebanon. The visit, which includes meetings with senior US officials, Lebanese diaspora figures and Washington-based think tanks, is being viewed in Beirut as one of the most consequential foreign trips of Aoun’s presidency. It is the first visit by a Lebanese head of state to the White House in nearly two decades, and follows the highest-level Lebanese meetings with a US president since former Prime Minister Saad Hariri met Barack Obama in 2011. Aoun met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Trump on Tuesday. Rubio said Washington remained committed to supporting the June trilateral framework agreement and Lebanon’s efforts to deliver “security, peace and a better future” for its people. The Washington visit comes after six rounds of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to end the war, mediated by the United States. The fifth round, held in Washington, produced the framework agreement on 26 June, while the sixth round took place in Rome last week. For Aoun, the trip to Washington is not merely diplomatic. Sources close to the presidential palace told Middle East Eye that Lebanon had worked hard to secure the visit and the meeting with Trump, viewing it as essential to strengthen Aoun’s image at home and to show that the direct negotiations track can produce results. Aoun’s argument, according to those sources, is that negotiations can achieve what war has not: a halt to fighting, the return of displaced residents, Lebanese army deployment in the south, and an Israeli pullback from Lebanese territory, even if the text refers to it as “redeployment” rather than withdrawal. Read more: Aoun seeks Trump backing for Israel pullback as south Lebanon ‘pilot zones’ begin A Lebanese army vehicle drives past first responders near the entrance to the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya as troops deploy to the village on 21 July 2026 (Fadel Itani/AFP)

Aoun seeks Trump backing for Israel pullback as south Lebanon ‘pilot zones’ begin Submitted by Adam Chamseddine on Tue, 07/21/2026 - 13:34 Beirut touts the Lebanese president’s Washington trip as proof direct talks work, but critics fear the agreement with Israel could draw the army into confrontation with Hezbollah A Lebanese army vehicle drives past first responders near the entrance to the southern village of Zawtar al-Gharbiya as troops deploy to the village on 21 July 2026 (Fadel Itani/AFP) Off Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is in Washington for a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump, as the first “pilot zone” operations under a US-brokered framework agreement with Israel began in southern Lebanon. The visit, which includes meetings with senior US officials, Lebanese diaspora figures and Washington-based think tanks, is being viewed in Beirut as one of the most consequential foreign trips of Aoun’s presidency. It is the first visit by a Lebanese head of state to the White House in nearly two decades, and follows the highest-level Lebanese meetings with a US president since former Prime Minister Saad Hariri met Barack Obama in 2011. Aoun met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Trump on Tuesday. Rubio said Washington remained committed to supporting the June trilateral framework agreement and Lebanon’s efforts to deliver “security, peace and a better future” for its people. The Washington visit comes after six rounds of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to end the war, mediated by the United States. The fifth round, held in Washington, produced the framework agreement on 26 June, while the sixth round took place in Rome last week. For Aoun, the trip to Washington is not merely diplomatic. Sources close to the presidential palace told Middle East Eye that Lebanon had worked hard to secure the visit and the meeting with Trump, viewing it as essential to strengthen Aoun’s image at home and to show that the direct negotiations track can produce results. Aoun’s argument, according to those sources, is that negotiations can achieve what war has not: a halt to fighting, the return of displaced residents, Lebanese army deployment in the south, and an Israeli pullback from Lebanese territory, even if the text refers to it as “redeployment” rather than withdrawal. US pressure sought on Israel  The framework agreement provides for the deployment of the Lebanese army in "pilot zones" evacuated by Israel - which occupies part of the south of the country - to take over the task of disarming Hezbollah. On Monday, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said pilot zone operations had begun in the villages of Froun, Srifa and Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, under the framework agreement and the new Military Coordination Group for Lebanon led by Washington. The Lebanese army later said its units had begun deploying in Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh based on contacts with the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon. Lebanese president to meet Trump as 'pilot zones' experiment begins Read More » It called on civilians not to head to the town until the security situation stabilises and to follow the instructions of deployed troops. According to a senior military official, the situation in the three pilot zones is not uniform. The official told MEE that Froun and Srifa were not directly occupied by Israeli troops, and the Lebanese army already maintained deployments there, but the areas remained under Israeli military oversight and control. By contrast, Israeli forces were still physically present in parts of Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, where the army’s deployment was tied to the ongoing arrangements through the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon. A senior Lebanese official familiar with the Washington visit told MEE that the US side had been “receptive and understanding” of Lebanon’s argument that visible Israeli steps are needed to present the framework as a Lebanese achievement, not merely as a list of Lebanese obligations. According to the official, Aoun is expected to ask Trump to use US leverage to compel Israel to implement the pilot zones agreed in the framework. However, the same official said there were concerns in Beirut that Israel would seek to break the implementation of the three pilot zones into a slower “wait-and-see” sequence: beginning with Zawtar al-Gharbiyeh, assessing the Lebanese army’s performance in removing Hezbollah assets, and only then deciding whether to move to the other areas. That prospect has deepened Lebanese scepticism over whether Israel intends to implement the framework as a path to withdrawal, or use it as a mechanism to test the Lebanese army, pressure Hezbollah and justify a prolonged military presence in what Israeli officials have described as a security zone. Lebanese fault lines The framework agreement has already drawn sharp criticism in Lebanon. Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem rejected the agreement, calling it a surrender of sovereignty and opposing any link between Israeli withdrawal and Hezbollah’s disarmament. Critics have also pointed to the absence of the word “withdrawal” from the text and the lack of clear enforcement guarantees. Others have criticised the agreement for relying heavily on Washington, Israel’s main military and diplomatic backer, to enforce the deal. Hezbollah supporters protest in Beirut against Israel deal Read More » Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has also criticised the agreement’s failure to reference the 1949 Armistice Agreement, which he described as a foundation of relations between Lebanon and Israel and part of the Lebanese political architecture reaffirmed in constitutional and government texts. Supporters of the framework argue however that it recognises Lebanon’s authority over its territory and offers a first step toward restoring state sovereignty in the south. The domestic divide leaves Aoun walking a narrow path. His supporters argue that direct negotiations, however politically costly, are the only available route to end the war and restore state authority. His opponents fear the process could impose Israeli conditions on Lebanon, weaken its legal and diplomatic options, and push the Lebanese army toward confrontation with Hezbollah. One Lebanese source briefed on the negotiations told MEE the central risk is that Israel may use any delay, friction or incomplete Lebanese army deployment as evidence that Lebanon cannot implement the framework. That, the source said, could allow Israel to claim that continued occupation of parts of the south is necessary until the Lebanese state proves it can exercise full sovereignty and prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its presence. Aoun’s visit therefore carries consequences beyond the optics of a White House meeting. If Trump presses Israel to implement the first pilot zones and move toward a clearer withdrawal timetable, Aoun could return to Beirut with proof that his diplomatic gamble has delivered. But if the process stalls, or if Israel turns the pilot zones into an open-ended test of the Lebanese army’s willingness to confront Hezbollah, the visit could instead deepen the very faultlines Aoun is trying to manage. For Lebanon, the Washington trip could mark the beginning of a negotiated exit from war. It could also set the country on a collision course between Israeli demands, US pressure, Hezbollah’s red lines and the fragile limits of the Lebanese state. Israel's war on Lebanon Beirut News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

Lebanese president to meet Trump as 'pilot zones' experiment begins Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is about to break a nearly two-decade streak in which no Lebanese head of state has been inside the White House. The former head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, nearly a month after a trilateral framework was signed by the US, Israel, and Lebanon towards ending a war that has cost more than 4,000 Lebanese lives.  The framework's first phase went into effect Monday, with the Trump administration announcing that "pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya... under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon".  The idea of the so-called pilot zones is that as Israeli forces move out, the LAF will move in to take over the task of disarming Hezbollah. It's unclear how the ill-equipped Lebanese army has been determined as ready for such a task, and whether it would be willing to fight Hezbollah's soldiers. But Washington did announce a $30m boost to the LAF - which relies on US funding - last month.  "Hezbollah has a complicated incentive here. It clearly benefits politically if the framework fails, as Israeli non-withdrawal would validate its argument that diplomacy cannot affect Lebanon and that its weapons are necessary," Sami Halabi, the policy director and co-founder of consultancy firm Triangle, said at a media briefing on Monday organised by the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.  "At the same time, Hezbollah and its allies... would like to see Israeli forces retreat, particularly from areas affecting their constituencies," he added.  Read more: Lebanese president to meet Trump as 'pilot zones' experiment begins Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on 19 July 2026 (Lebanese president's office handout)

Lebanese president to meet Trump as 'pilot zones' experiment begins Submitted by Yasmine El-Sabawi on Mon, 07/20/2026 - 20:17 The move is the first practical test for the US-negotiated military coordination group for Lebanon Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the US State Department in Washington, DC, on 19 July 2026 (Lebanese president's office handout) Off Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is about to break a nearly two-decade streak in which no Lebanese head of state has been inside the White House. The former head of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) is set to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, nearly a month after a trilateral framework was signed by the US, Israel, and Lebanon towards ending a war that has cost more than 4,000 Lebanese lives.  The framework's first phase went into effect Monday, with the Trump administration announcing that "pilot zone operations began in the villages of Froun, Srifa, and Zawtar Al-Gharbiya... under the auspices of the Military Coordination Group for Lebanon".  The idea of the so-called pilot zones is that as Israeli forces move out, the LAF will move in to take over the task of disarming Hezbollah. It's unclear how the ill-equipped Lebanese army has been determined as ready for such a task, and whether it would be willing to fight Hezbollah's soldiers. But Washington did announce a $30m boost to the LAF - which relies on US funding - last month.  "Hezbollah has a complicated incentive here. It clearly benefits politically if the framework fails, as Israeli non-withdrawal would validate its argument that diplomacy cannot affect Lebanon and that its weapons are necessary," Sami Halabi, the policy director and co-founder of consultancy firm Triangle, said at a media briefing on Monday organised by the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy.  "At the same time, Hezbollah and its allies... would like to see Israeli forces retreat, particularly from areas affecting their constituencies," he added.  Israel has advanced far enough from its northern border to occupy one-fifth of Lebanese territory so far, spurred by Hezbollah's rocket fire into Israel as a show of support for its ally, Iran, in March.  'The fact that there’s no timetable, and there’s no automatic consequence if Israel delays creates this asymmetry between Lebanon and Israel'  - Sami Halabi, director of Triangle US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement on Monday that the agreed framework is a "milestone".  "This... is a direct outcome of last week’s discussions between Israel and Lebanon in Rome. The United States will continue working closely with both parties to implement the Framework to a successful conclusion," he wrote.  The Israeli military confirmed the process is underway in a post on X. "[We] will respond forcefully to any violation of the agreement," it wrote.  But Halabi pointed to the security annex of the deal as containing language that is "eventual [and] conditions-based, and as redeployment rather than withdrawal". "The fact that there's no timetable and there's no automatic consequence if Israel delays creates this asymmetry between Lebanon and Israel," he said.  Unusual move Aoun arrived in the US with his wife on Saturday to begin a series of meetings in Washington, DC, culminating with Trump on Tuesday. Iraqi government orders probe over weapons smuggling to Hezbollah in Lebanon Read More » The last Lebanese president to sit in the Oval Office was Michel Sleiman in 2009, with former President Barack Obama.  Aoun is not known to have had any previous one-on-one conversations with Trump, and has been largely sidelined compared to other leaders in the region who have rapidly developed warm ties with the US president, such as Syria's president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.  But what Aoun does share with every other Arab leader is a definitive understanding that only Trump is capable of reining in Israel.  To kickstart his agenda on Sunday, Aoun went to the State Department to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. A head of state with a planned sit-down at the White House does not typically go to meet the most senior diplomat separately. The act was met with outrage in parts of Lebanese society, with many calling it a humiliation. Notably absent from the photographs was Lebanese foreign minister and Rubio's counterpart, Youssef Rajji, who did not make the trip.  Speaking to reporters late on Sunday, Rubio described the meeting as "very positive". "I think President Aoun will be able to return to Lebanon and say to the people of Lebanon that he is the one getting positive results" for them, Rubio added.  "He is a legitimate government... not Iran, not Hezbollah." The framework It was just last month that Lebanon and Israel agreed to a historic deal, following five rounds of talks hosted by the Trump administration. Rubio called it "the beginning of the beginning" in remarks to reporters moments before the signing. He later revealed in a written statement that the US would commit $100m in "humanitarian assistance in coordination with the UN" for affected communities, though he did not specify whether it was just for Lebanon or also for northern Israeli border towns. Lebanon’s Mitri says divisive Israel framework still lacks government approval Read More » The LAF, Rubio said, would be "reimbursed" by the Trump administration to the tune of $30m. "This agreement establishes a clear and structured process to restore Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and enable Israel to return to its borders once that threat to its citizens is removed," Rubio said.  The process will be facilitated by the new Military Coordination Group for Lebanon led by Washington, he added.  "For Lebanon, this Framework provides a genuine pathway out of a long crisis. For Israel, it creates a verifiable path to removing the persistent threat on its northern border."  Lebanon's ambassador to Washington, Nada Hamadeh Moawad, described the meetings as "long and difficult".  Posting on X, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the framework is a step towards "restoration of the state's sovereignty", but downplayed any new obligations on his country apart from previously stipulated agreements in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, and the 2024 ceasefire deal. "Only the legitimate forces are authorized to bear arms in Lebanon," he said. Hezbollah refused to enter into direct discussions with Israel, but appears to have had backchannel communications with the Trump administration. The group remains the most powerful military organisation in the country, and far outflanks the miliary capabilities of the Lebanese forces.  Israel's war on Lebanon Washington News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0