Meeting Between Aoun and Trump Expected Alongside 'Experimental Areas'

SadaNews - Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is set to meet with his American counterpart Donald Trump on Tuesday in Washington, amidst escalating American pressure on Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah.

The visit comes a day after the United States announced the commencement of a framework signed by Lebanon and Israel, which stipulates that the Lebanese army will extend its authority over "experimental areas" in southern Lebanon.

These areas are located adjacent to the territories occupied by Israel in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops are present on the outskirts of a town. Israeli soldiers have intruded into vast areas in southern Lebanon since the onset of the war between them and Hezbollah on March 2.

The framework agreement also calls for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from the south; however, the Israeli state conditions the withdrawal on the disarmament of Hezbollah. It states that it will keep its forces in what it describes as a "security zone" for the time being.

Washington is pressuring Lebanese authorities to disarm Hezbollah, which is supported by Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said to reporters after meeting Aoun on Sunday: "As long as this issue persists, Lebanon will not truly experience peace."

In a previous statement from the U.S. State Department, Rubio praised the "bravery of the Lebanese government (...) and its vigorous efforts to restore Lebanon's sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah, and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure."

This is the first visit by a Lebanese president to the United States since 2009, when former President Barack Obama hosted then-President Michel Sleiman.

Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, stated that although the meeting "demonstrates continued American interest in Lebanon," it "raises a lot of concern about what may be asked of Lebanon afterwards."

Since his election as president at the beginning of 2025, Aoun, a former commander of the Lebanese army, has pledged, with Western support, to disarm Hezbollah, marking a significant political shift in Lebanon, a step that Hezbollah has repeatedly rejected.

Hezbollah opened a front with Israel from southern Lebanon in response to the assassination of Iranian leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the American-Israeli attack on Iran, and Israel retaliated with a devastating military campaign.

The Israeli strikes since the beginning of the war have resulted in the martyrdom of more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, according to the authorities.

The intensity of violence has significantly decreased since the signing of the memorandum of understanding between the United States and Iran last month, coinciding with ongoing negotiations between Lebanon and Israel.

The Lebanese army is expected to deploy in the "experimental areas" following Israel's withdrawal from them, working to disarm the party and ban any military presence of any group outside the legitimate forces, which would serve as a trial for a gradual Israeli withdrawal from other areas.