President Donald Trump on Tuesday met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House as the Middle Eastern leader is hoping to implement a historic peace agreement with Israel in Southern Lebanon as fighting continues between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has said it will not honor the agreement.
Aoun reportedly hopes to convince Trump to convince Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw troops so they can isolate the militant group, but Hezbollah continues to fire rocket and drone attacks from Lebanon into Israel, and Israel continues near-daily airstrikes against the group.
Late last month, Lebanon and Israel announced a “framework agreement” setting a plan for an eventual peace agreement between the two countries, which have been in a state of war or conflict for almost 80 years, The Associated Press reported.
Aoun is the first Lebanese president to visit the White House since 2009. His visit comes amid continuing talks between Israel and Lebanon, mediated by the U.S.
Lebanese troops want to replace Israeli forces in Southern Lebanon to assert control over Hezbollah militants once Israeli forces complete their gradual withdrawal. But, in return, Israel is looking for Lebanon to commit to security guarantees.
Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the region and has had conflict with Israel for decades. The group, officially labeled a terrorist organization by the U.S., has a deep stockpile of rockets, missiles and drones.
Hezbollah upped the tempo of its strikes on Israel after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and amid the conflict that followed.
The AP reported that Israeli troops plan to withdraw from a southern Lebanese town, Zawtar al-Gharbeih, but an Israeli official said it hasn’t happened yet.
A U.S. official told Axios that the establishment of pilot zone withdrawals represents “real progress on the ground.”
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Rubio: Lebanese forces need to be stronger to counteract Hezbollah
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Aoun on Sunday, telling reporters that in order to defeat Hezbollah, the Lebanese government and armed forces needs to be strengthened. If the Lebanese Armed Forces were stronger, they will be able to replace Hezbollah.
“I think President Aoun will be able to return to Lebanon and say to the people of Lebanon that he is the one that’s getting positive results for the people,” Rubio said, adding, “Not Hezbollah, not Iran.”
Trump had praise for Lebanon during a press conference in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
“I think that Lebanon has been a very mistreated country for a long period of time, it’s an amazing group of people, professors, doctors, lawyers, great intellects, and it’s been hit hard for many, many decades,” Trump said during the meeting. “It’s been a very badly treated place and country, and we’re going to have it properly treated and treated with the respect that it deserves.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this visit for a long time, meeting such a great president like yourself,” Aoun replied.
Trump joked, “See, he knows how to get to me. Now he can have anything.”
Aoun went on to thank Trump for the “historic achievement” of signing the framework that has the “ultimate objective” of ending the hostility between Lebanon and Israel.
After the meeting, Trump announced that he was “hereby directing my Administration to allow U.S. airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land.” He said he hoped other countries do the same.
The State Department currently has a level 4 do not travel advisory on Lebanon, which began on May 6. The advisory said don’t travel to Lebanon due to the risk of “crime, terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, landmines, and armed conflict.” U.S. government employees and their families were ordered to depart Lebanon due to safety risks in late February.
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