WASHINGTON — The top US military commander overseeing American forces in the Middle East met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Beirut on Monday as Israeli troops are expected to withdraw from two locations in south Lebanon.

The planned move is part of a phased territorial handover process pushed by the Trump administration and agreed upon by Israeli and Lebanese diplomats during marathon negotiations held in Washington last week. Lebanese military forces are expected to push into the two areas in the country’s Nabatieh governorate following the Israeli withdrawal.

Israel re-invaded southern Lebanon in March, displacing roughly one-fifth of the country's population as it sought to uproot Hezbollah and halt rocket and drone attacks along its northern border.

CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper and US Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Joseph Clearfield, tasked with monitoring the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire and implementation of the handover process, met Aoun at Baabda Palace on Monday. The delegation discussed “preparations related to the start of implementation” of last week’s agreement, Aoun’s office said in a statement.