Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on July 21, 2026. He will present a plan aimed at disarming Hezbollah and securing the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, where Israel still occupies parts of the territory following recent conflicts [1, 2, 3, 4].
This will be the first visit to the White House by a Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years [1, 2, 5, 4]. Aoun, who became president last year after serving as commander of Lebanon’s U.S.-backed army, supports efforts for the Lebanese state to reclaim its monopoly on weapons and disarm Hezbollah [1, 5, 4].
On June 26, a U.S.-brokered agreement was reached between Lebanon and Israel to progressively withdraw Israeli troops from occupied areas and allow the Lebanese army to deploy in two pilot zones. This is conditional on Hezbollah’s disarmament [1, 2, 3, 4]. Israel continues to occupy parts of southern Lebanon that it has controlled since the 2023-2024 war and from hostilities starting in March 2026 [1, 3, 4].
Hezbollah opposes direct talks between the Lebanese government and Israel and rejects the disarmament plan and related negotiations [1, 5, 4].
Ahead of his meeting with Trump, Aoun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on July 19 in Washington. Rubio praised Lebanon’s “determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace” and expressed commitment "to supporting the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework and to backing the Government of Lebanon’s efforts to deliver peace, economic recovery, and a better future for the Lebanese people" [2, 3].
Aoun said he intends to ask Trump to “exert the necessary pressure on Israel” to implement the June 26 agreement fully and withdraw troops to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty [1, 5, 4].
On July 19, the U.S. conducted airstrikes targeting Iran amid escalating regional conflicts involving Hezbollah, Israel, and Iran-backed forces [2, 4].
Aoun’s visit to Washington is scheduled to last four days and includes further meetings with U.S. officials to advance peace efforts between Lebanon and Israel [3].
