Full story
Aoun Meets Rubio in Washington
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun began a series of high-level meetings in Washington, holding talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio as Beirut sought US backing to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
“Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has begun a series of high-level meetings in Washington, holding talks with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as Beirut looks for US backing to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon”
Aoun told Rubio on Sunday that Lebanon and the US needed to work together to put the US-backed agreement signed by Lebanon and Israel on June 26 into effect, starting with an initial Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon, according to an X post from the Lebanese presidency.
Rubio praised the Lebanese government’s “determined efforts to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure and move towards peace,” according to a statement from the US State Department after the meeting.
Aoun and First Lady Naima Aoun arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Saturday at the start of the official visit, and Aoun was expected to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
The visit came as Israeli troops remained in parts of the south months after the latest war with Hezbollah, while hundreds of thousands of people remained displaced, and Aoun planned to present Trump with a written proposal outlining how Hezbollah’s arsenal could be dismantled while securing Israel’s withdrawal under the US-brokered agreement.
Quotes, Commitments, and Framing
After meeting Aoun in Washington on Sunday, Rubio said the United States supports the steps of the Lebanese government, praising its “moving forward toward peace” and its efforts to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah, and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, according to a statement from the U.S. State Department.
The Lebanese presidency said Aoun stressed during his meeting with Rubio the “need for the Lebanese position to align with the American stance regarding the implementation of the trilateral framework by achieving the first Israeli withdrawal from the first experimental area.”
Kurdistan24, citing a readout from the US State Department attributable to Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, said Rubio commended what the statement described as the courage of the Government of Lebanon for its determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure.
The Times of Israel described the same Sunday talks as Rubio lauding Aoun’s ongoing push to disarm Hezbollah, and it quoted the State Department readout saying Rubio “recommended the courage of the government of Lebanon, under President Aoun’s leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty.”
The different outlets’ emphasis tracked the same meeting, with Rubio’s public praise of Lebanon’s efforts and Aoun’s insistence on aligning the Lebanese position with the American stance on the first Israeli withdrawal from the first experimental area.
Implementation Tests and Next Steps
The talks centered on implementing the Trilateral Framework, with Lebanon and Israel having signed a framework agreement on June 26 that provides for the disarmament of Hezbollah, Israel’s gradual withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese army starting from two experimental areas.
“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in Washington on Sunday, praising the country for its "move towards peace" after the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks”
Kurdistan24 said implementation of the agreement was made conditional on the disarmament of Hezbollah, which has entirely rejected both the agreement and the negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
Aoun’s Washington schedule included a meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, and the Lebanese presidency said he would hold meetings and consultations with members of the US Senate and other administration officials.
TRT World reported that Rubio voiced support for Aoun’s measures to “restore Lebanon’s sovereignty over its entire territory, implement the Trilateral Framework and revive Lebanon’s role by restoring economic prosperity and extending state authority throughout the country.”
With fighting continuing despite the June 26 framework, the coming days were framed by sources as a test of whether momentum from Rome negotiations could translate into concrete steps toward full implementation, including the first Israeli withdrawal from the first pilot area.
