Lebanon's Aoun to press Trump for Israeli troop withdrawal as pressure builds to disarm Hezbollah Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is expected to present a plan to his US counterpart Donald Trump Tuesday on how to disarm Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which Israel has made a key condition of its withdrawal from the lands that its troops occupy in the country's south. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will meet with his US counterpart Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, as pressure builds for Beirut to disarm Shiite militant group Hezbollah, Israel's key condition before withdrawing its troops from south Lebanon. It comes a day after the United States, which has sponsored negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, announced the start of the implementation of an agreement granting the Lebanese army control over "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon.

These zones are primarily located just outside lands Israel occupied after Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March following the US-Israeli killing of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Aoun, who has staunchly criticised Hezbollah's decision to pull Lebanon into the war, is now hoping Trump will further pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese lands. Read moreMiddle East war: Lebanon, Israel and US sign framework agreement in Washington Israel has nonetheless consistently refused to pull out as long as Hezbollah remains armed – a demand echoed by Washington.

"As long as that problem exists, Lebanon will never truly get peace," US State Secretary Marco Rubio said after meeting Aoun on Sunday. In an earlier statement, Rubio "commended the courage of the Government of Lebanon ... for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure".

Aoun is the first Lebanese president to be invited to Washington since 2009. Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, said that while the meeting "demonstrates a continued US interest in Lebanon", it "raises a lot of concern around what more Lebanon may be asked to do". A Lebanese official said Aoun believes only Trump possesses the leverage needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty.

The official said that Aoun, in addition to asking the US president to press Israel to withdraw, would also present Trump with a written proposal on how to decommission Hezbollah's massive arsenal. 'A dangerous idea' Aoun, who previously served as the commander of Lebanon's US-backed army, has vowed to disarm Hezbollah since being elected as president in early 2025 with Western support, marking a major political shift in Lebanon. However, Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected disarmament.

Israeli strikes have killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon since fighting began in March, according to authorities. Hundreds of thousands of people remain displaced following Israel's invasion of the country's south. Violence has significantly decreased after the signing of a framework agreement between the US and Iran last month, along with Lebanon's continued negotiations with Israel.