Lebanese president set to meet Trump as Beirut seeks Israeli withdrawal

Aoun is seeking US backing to end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and secure an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.President Joseph Aoun is in Washington, DC, seeking the backing of the United States for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and support for the Lebanese army as it moves to assert control over areas long dominated by Hezbollah.Aoun is due to meet US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, before he concludes his four-day visit, following another round of US-mediated talks between Lebanese and Israeli officials in Rome last week, where negotiators discussed how to implement an agreement signed by the two sides on June 26.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun meets Rubio ahead of Trump talkslist 2 of 4Lebanese food influencer sentenced to life for drug smugglinglist 3 of 4Lebanon’s military starts ‘pilot zone’ takeover in southlist 4 of 4Lebanese army enters ‘pilot zone’, as villagers return amid Israel dealend of listAoun and his wife had arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Saturday at the start of the official visit, according to the Lebanese presidency.It is the first visit to Washington by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman met President Barack Obama in 2009.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who met Aoun on Sunday, said Washington would back the agreement’s full implementation, warning that Lebanon would “never be fully at peace” as long as the Hezbollah issue remained unresolved.“How do you replace Hezbollah? You defeat and replace them with a government that is strong enough to be the sole force of arms in the country,” Rubio said after the meeting.Sceptics in Lebanon fear that a military confrontation with Hezbollah could lead to a civil war. Government officials have also urged investment in the country’s battered infrastructure to empower the weakened state, which Rubio echoed.“This is not just about military stuff,” he said. “This is about how can we attract more US and international investment into Lebanon.”