Can Trump help Lebanon? Joseph Aoun to visit White House to increase pressure on Israel

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will make his inaugural trip to the White House this week to propose a strategy to US President Donald Trump on how to strip Hezbollah of its weapons and military capabilities, and secure Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon.

The commander of Lebanon's US-backed army, Aoun -who was elected president last year is the first Lebanese head of state in nearly 20 years to visit the White House where he will meet Trump for the first time.

The meeting comes at a turning point for Lebanon: Israeli troops are encompassing a swathe of the country’s south, hundreds of thousands of Lebanese remain displaced after Israeli strikes and Hezbollah has steadfastly refused the government’s direct talks with Israel and efforts by the state to strip it of its arms.

According to a Lebanese official, Aoun will present Trump with a written proposal on how to dismantle Hezbollah’s massive arsenal.

The official asserted that Aoun believes only Trump possesses the influence needed to pressure Israel to withdraw its forces and help Lebanon restore its sovereignty.

The 62-year-old Aoun became president last year before Trump commenced his second term in the White House. His rise reflected a significant shift in the power balance in Lebanon after an Israeli offensive against Hezbollah in 2024 and the ousting of Hezbollah’s Syrian ally President Bashar-al-Assad-foreshocks that weakened the group after its enduring dominance over the state.

Nonetheless, Aoun immediately urged direct negotiations after the war began, a military withdrawal for a state repeatedly invaded by Israel since 1978-ultimately leading to the first bilateral summits between the two countries in decades.