Lebanon's Aoun tells Trump an Israeli troop withdrawal is needed
By Nandita Bose, Maya Gebeily and Tom Perry
WASHINGTON/BEIRUT, July 21 (Reuters) - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun told U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday that a full Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory was essential to consolidating stability and enabling the state to extend its authority, the Lebanese presidency said.
In their first meeting, the two leaders discussed plansto disarm the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah and secure Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon. The Lebanese presidency said they also discussed U.S. support for Lebanon's army, reconstruction, economic recovery and American investment.
Aoun's nearly two-hour visit took place as Israeli troops continue to occupy a swath of the country's south and hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced following Israeli strikes. Hezbollah has rejected the government's direct talks with Israel as well as efforts by the state to disarm it.
The talks highlighted Aoun's delicate balancing act — seeking Trump's help to secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon while simultaneously facing pressure from the United States and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, which remains a formidable fighting force despite recent setbacks.
"It's been a very badly treated place and country, and we're going to have it properly treated and treated with respect that it deserves," Trump said as he met Aoun in the White House's Oval Office. "There's a Hezbollah problem."
Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon's U.S.-backed army before being elected president last year, was the first Lebanese head of state to visit the White House in nearly 20 years.
In a statement after the talks, the Lebanese presidency said Aoun stressed to Trump the "urgent need for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory," calling it "an essential step to consolidate stability and enable the Lebanese state to extend its full sovereignty exclusively through its own forces."
Trump said in a social media post after the meeting that he was directing his administration to allow all U.S. airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon.
"Hopefully, other Countries will do the same," Trump wrote.
A U.S.-BROKERED AGREEMENT
In a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, Aoun said Israel should begin withdrawing from southern Lebanon in line with a U.S.-brokered June 26 agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
That deal aims to disarm Hezbollah, see a progressive Israeli troop withdrawal and set the stage for peaceful ties between the two countries.
But it remains unclear how Aoun can persuade or force Hezbollah, a Shi'ite group founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, to give up its weapons. Once Lebanon's dominant political and military force, the group's influence has waned since Israel's 2024 offensive against it and the fall of its Syrian ally, former President Bashar al-Assad.
Hours ahead of Aoun's meeting with Trump, Lebanese army troops began taking control of territory vacated by Israeli forces in southern Lebanon — the first test of the plan.
A Lebanese official said Aoun believes that only Trump possesses the leverage needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty. The United States is Israel's most important ally and principal arms supplier.
The official said that Aoun, in addition to asking the U.S. president to press Israel to withdraw, would also present Trump with a written proposal on how to decommission Hezbollah's massive arsenal.
"This will be your legacy," Aoun told Trump in front of reporters as their meeting got under way.
Trump said he would be willing to speak with Hezbollah's leaders if Aoun thought doing so would be helpful. Trump also suggested that Syria may have a role to play in disarming Hezbollah, although he did not explain how.
(Writing by Trevor Hunnicutt and Steve Holland; Editing by William Maclean, Will Dunham, Cynthia Osterman and Ross Colvin)
