Aoun To Meet Trump As Israel Begins Lebanon Pullback

According to Axios, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will meet President Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday as the Israeli military begins its first withdrawal from Lebanon under a U.S.-brokered agreement. The State Department said Monday that Israel is starting to pull out of several villages in southern Lebanon as part of a pilot-zone deal negotiated last week in Rome. A U.S. official said the Lebanese Armed Forces will clear Hezbollah weapons and infrastructure from the areas, conduct verified clearance operations and secure the zones, while the United States continues to negotiate with Israel and Lebanon over who will verify the clearances before the next phase of the withdrawal. Aoun, the first Lebanese president to visit the White House since 2009, is seeking political backing, military assistance for the Lebanese Armed Forces and U.S. pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government to continue the pullout. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Aoun on Sunday and said strengthening the Lebanese government and the LAF is the best way to defeat Hezbollah, while also attracting more U.S. and international investment into Lebanon.