Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, to discuss a plan aimed at disarming the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Israel has made Hezbollah's disarmament a key condition for withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon.
This meeting follows the United States' announcement of the implementation of an agreement granting the Lebanese army control over "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon, areas primarily adjacent to lands occupied by Israel after Hezbollah's involvement in the Middle East conflict that escalated in March 2026.
Aoun, who has strongly criticized Hezbollah's role in drawing Lebanon into the war, hopes Trump will increase pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories. US State Secretary Marco Rubio emphasized after meeting Aoun that "as long as that problem exists, Lebanon will never truly get peace."
Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, noted that the meeting "demonstrates a continued US interest in Lebanon" but also "raises a lot of concern around what more Lebanon may be asked to do."
Since the conflict began in March, Israeli strikes have reportedly killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, according to Lebanese authorities. Meanwhile, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has stated that Syria has no intention to intervene in Lebanon despite repeated calls from Trump.
Aoun's rise to prominence reflects a significant shift in Lebanon's power balance following a major Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in 2024 and the removal of Hezbollah's Syrian ally, President Bashar al-Assad, events that weakened Hezbollah's influence in the divided state.
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