Lebanon's Aoun to make first trip to Trump's White House with Hezbollah disarmament plan

Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon's US-backed army before being elected president last year, is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House.Follow us on GoogleLebanese President Joseph Aoun attends a press conference with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (not pictured), at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, February 16, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR/FILE PHOTO)ByREUTERSJULY 19, 2026 09:15Updated: JULY 19, 2026 09:46Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun is expected to meet US President Donald Trump this week. It is the first visit by a Lebanese leader to the US in 17 years.The last Lebanese president to visit the US was Michel Suleiman, who met US President Barack Obama in 2009.The visit comes after the Iraqi Prime Minister was also in the US and after Trump met with the Syrian president in Turkey this month. As such, key Arab states are holding important high-level meetings with the US this month.A statement from the Lebanese presidency, posted at Al-Ain news in the US, explained that Aoun will meet with Trump and hold "meetings and consultations with a number of American officials to discuss the situation in Lebanon and ways to consolidate the ceasefire," in addition to "Israel's withdrawal from the Lebanese areas it occupies."The meeting is expected Tuesday. He is also expected to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday.A man mourns as he lies on the casket of a Hezbollah fighter who was killed in clashes with the Israeli army during a mass funeral in the southern Lebanese village of Majdel Selm on July 18, 2026. (credit: IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)First visit in 17 years as LAF troops set to deploy in pilot zonesThe visit by Aoun comes as Lebanon is set to deploy troops to pilot zones in southern Lebanon near where IDF troops are stationed. The theory is that the Lebanese army's deployment will mean it will control these areas rather than Hezbollah.The army has so far had little success at confronting or disarming Hezbollah. It isn’t clear if the Lebanese government is even willing to confront Hezbollah.Aoun’s priority appears to be getting Israel to withdraw or redeploy. Israeli officials have vowed not to withdraw, but some limited redeployment may happen.The US is currently involved in multi-day strikes on Iran over the last week and a half. It is not clear if this may affect the Aoun meetings. It may also affect Hezbollah because Iran may want to use Hezbollah or the Houthis in Yemen to increase pressure on Israel.Arab News in Saudi Arabia pointed out that “Aoun, who served as the commander of Lebanon’s US-backed army before being elected president last year, is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House, where he will meet Trump face-to-face for the first time.”The report noted that the focus is the displaced Lebanese who want to return to southern Lebanon. Aoun’s messaging is about getting the US to pressure Israel.However, Arab News, basing its report on Reuters, also noted that “a Lebanese official ‌said ⁠Aoun would present ⁠Trump with a written proposal on how to decommission Hezbollah’s massive arsenal. The official said Aoun believes only Trump possesses the leverage needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its troops and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty.”While Aoun and Lebanon’s prime minister Nawaf Salam have messaged about creating a monopoly on weapons, they have not actually moved to disarm Hezbollah.Instead, they disarmed some Palestinian factions last year. Lebanon is saddled with sectarian politics that makes any change hard. It also has aging politicians such as the Shi’ite leader Nabih Berri and the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, who prefer the status quo.Arab News and Reuters noted that Aoun’s “presidency’s first year was defined by a government bid to secure the disarmament of Hezbollah, which was founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards ‌in 1982 and has fought numerous wars with Israel.Lebanese troops deployed in southern Lebanon to collect Hezbollah weapons caches, in line with ‌a ceasefire after the 2024 war and without opposition from a weakened Hezbollah.”The report noted that “Aoun was born in Sin Al-Fil, a suburb of eastern Beirut. His family originally hails from south Lebanon. His first army assignment was as a platoon commander in the army rangers in 1985, during Lebanon’s 1975 to 1990 civil war.”Aoun elected after Lebanese political crisis, Hezbollah hijacked nation's politicsAoun was elected after one of Lebanon’s many political impasses, which had left the country without a president since 2022.Hezbollah has hijacked Lebanese politics over the last decade and a half, basically meaning it was hard for the country to have a president not backed by Hezbollah. Lebanon’s sectarian politics mean the president must be a Christian.Israel and Lebanon have held talks with US backing. The most recent talks were in Rome. These are aimed at enabling Lebanon to deploy to pilot zones.Yesterday, a Lebanese army officer was killed in an explosion in Lebanon. The IDF is not going to withdraw much, at least according to statements from Israeli officials.“The framework agreement does not specify a timetable for withdrawal, while Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that their forces will not withdraw from a "security zone" ten kilometers deep from their borders until Hezbollah is disarmed, a step that analysts doubt the Lebanese state's ability to accomplish,” Al-Ain news noted.Follow us on Google