Lebanon's Aoun to meet Trump as pressure builds to disarm Hezbollah – Al-Monitor

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday amid increasing pressure for Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. This disarmament is Israel's primary condition for withdrawing from southern Lebanon. The meeting follows the implementation of an agreement granting the Lebanese army control over "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, areas Israel occupied after Hezbollah initiated a conflict in March. President Aoun, who has criticized Hezbollah's actions, hopes Trump will pressure Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories. However, Israel, supported by Washington, insists on Hezbollah's disarmament. US State Secretary Marco Rubio stated, "As long as that problem exists, Lebanon will never truly get peace." Aoun, the first Lebanese president invited to Washington since 2009, seeks more aid for the Lebanese army to address the challenge of disarming Hezbollah, a group that has repeatedly rejected disarmament and the underlying peace negotiations.