Marko Rubio Congratulates Lebanon on Step Toward Peace After Meeting with President Aoun

U.S. Secretary of State Marko Rubio congratulated Lebanon on a „step toward peace“ following a meeting in Washington with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, which took place several days after a round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.

Rubio and Aoun discussed the framework agreement reached on June 26 in Washington, aimed at ending the state of war between the two Middle Eastern countries, said an unnamed State Department spokesperson on social media, noting that Rubio praised the „courage of the Lebanese government.“

Aoun’s visit, during which a meeting with his counterpart Donald Trump is planned, is the first visit by a Lebanese president since Michel Sleiman’s visit in 2009, when he met with U.S. Democratic President Barack Obama.

The Lebanese president arrived in Washington today, where he is scheduled to meet with U.S. officials to discuss the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire, with a meeting with Trump planned for Tuesday.

According to the Lebanese presidency, Aoun will meet with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, July 21, and this meeting comes after negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, which concluded on Wednesday in Rome.

In addition to the Lebanese-American summit at the White House, Aoun will meet with several U.S. officials to discuss the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire, especially in the south, as well as the withdrawal of Israel from Lebanese territories it occupies, the Lebanese presidency stated.

Israeli forces occupied part of southern Lebanon on March 2, at the start of the latest conflict with the pro-Iranian Hezbollah movement.

The process of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel began in April, the framework agreement was signed in June, and the latest round of talks was held last week in Rome.

Trump reiterated his desire for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but Israel refused to do so.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead is seeking U.S. approval to launch a new type of military operation—targeted raids into areas controlled by Hezbollah, allegedly to destroy their positions and seize weapons, before those areas are handed over to the Lebanese army.