Lebanese President Joseph Aoun departed Beirut on Saturday bound for Washington, where his office announced he will conduct high-level talks with President Donald Trump following the conclusion of recent diplomatic meetings with Israel in Italy, AFP reports.
The trip marks a significant historical milestone, representing the first time a Lebanese head of state has visited Washington since then-President Barack Obama hosted Michel Sleiman in 2009.
According to the Lebanese presidency, Aoun's agenda centers on negotiations "with several American officials on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire," alongside securing "the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies".
A subsequent statement confirming his arrival noted that Aoun is scheduled to meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, followed by a Tuesday session with Trump.
The diplomatic push comes as Israel and Lebanon - nations without official bilateral ties - continue US-mediated talks initiated in April to permanently resolve the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. On June 26, negotiators established a framework accord in Washington outlining an Israeli military pullback from southern Lebanon, to be followed by the deployment of the Lebanese army, beginning with two designated "pilot zones".
However, the realization of this plan hinges upon disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorist group. The group has entirely dismissed the framework and the underlying negotiations.
A US official confirmed that during this week's follow-up talks in Rome, Lebanese and Israeli delegations "agreed on the structure and guidelines" required to operationalize the pilot zones.
In tandem, a Lebanese military official told AFP that the national army has already begun boosting its presence and patrolling villages near sectors where the IDF currently operates, such as Froun in the Bint Jbeil district, to prepare for the transition. Concurrently,
Hezbollah staged a public demonstration in the coastal city of Tyre on Saturday to reconfirm its opposition to the diplomatic initiative.
Despite agreeing to hold talks with Israel, the Lebanese President has repeatedly rejected the idea of a face-to-face meeting with Netanyahu, as floated by Trump.
Aoun has made clear that a high-level summit with Netanyahu is currently out of the question, stressing that the cessation of hostilities must be the primary focus before any direct political engagement can be considered.
Earlier this month, Aoun again ruled out the possibility of a direct meeting with Netanyahu, stressing, “If we were to find ourselves in the same room, I would immediately leave."