Aoun in Washington Amid Progress in Lebanon-Israel Talks

SadaNews - The "Al Arabiya" channel reported that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun left Beirut this morning, Saturday, heading to the American capital, Washington, on a visit that carries exceptional political and security weight, following progress in the indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel in Rome, which the United States described as positive. This comes amid indications of a shift from the stage of political understandings to field steps, starting with limited Israeli withdrawals in southern Lebanon.

The visit comes at a sensitive time, coinciding with American efforts to launch the initial phases of the framework agreement reached at the end of June, which calls for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, the deployment of the Lebanese army, and efforts to end the military confrontation that has persisted since the renewal of hostilities between Israel and "Hezbollah."

President Aoun is accompanied on his first visit to Lebanon by Naamat Aoun and several of his advisors, while his discussions with senior U.S. officials are expected to be a pivotal point for assessing the results of recent negotiations and discussing the guarantees required to proceed with implementation.

The Italian capital, Rome, hosted the sixth round of direct negotiations between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations under American sponsorship, marking the first round held after signing the framework agreement in Washington.

The U.S. embassy in Beirut announced that the two parties reached an agreement on the general structure and mechanism for implementing the "experimental areas," with technical details to be finalized and implementation to begin within days. This will occur alongside expanded technical talks to implement the remaining provisions of the agreement.

According to sources, the Israeli withdrawal from the initial experimental areas is expected to begin before the Lebanese president's visit to Washington, a step seen as a practical indicator of the seriousness of the new track and a message of support for the Lebanese presidency before its meetings in the American capital.

Despite the progress, the main points of contention still revolve around the conditions for the Israeli withdrawal from the border areas. According to American sources, Lebanon is demanding a comprehensive ceasefire before any stage of the agreement is implemented, along with a clear and binding timetable for the Israeli withdrawal.

In contrast, Israel insists that any withdrawal be accompanied by guarantees that ensure the Lebanese army's capability to prevent the return of "Hezbollah" to the areas from which it would withdraw. Meanwhile, the U.S. is demanding a Lebanese commitment to prevent any military activity by the party in the south.

Washington also confirms that it has officially separated the Lebanese negotiation track from its discussions with Iran, while still monitoring the potential impact of any regional escalation on the situation on the ground in Lebanon.

Before his departure, President Joseph Aoun affirmed that "Washington has begun to listen to Lebanon," and that the Lebanese file has now been placed directly on President Donald Trump's desk, considering that the current framework for the agreement with Israel represents "the best possible" under the present circumstances.

These statements align with indicators of increasing American interest in resolving the southern Lebanese front, within a broader vision aimed at reducing points of tension in the Middle East after months of escalation.

In this context, Axios reported from American and Israeli officials that President Trump informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call on July 9 of the necessity to begin redeploying Israeli forces and withdrawing from Lebanon and Syria, warning that continued military presence in these arenas could lead to new escalation.