U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shakes hands with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun during a meeting at the U.S. State Department in Washington on Sunday, July 19, 2026. (Photo shared by the Lebanese Presidency on X; Credit: @LBpresidency)
BEIRUT — President Joseph Aoun met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday at the U.S. State Department headquarters, following the latest round of Lebanon-Israel talks. The visit marks the first visit by a Lebanese head of state to Washington since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009. Aoun is due to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
Lebanese officials said the president is due to meet President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
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 U.S. State Department after the meeting.
Lebanon and Israel, which do not have formal diplomatic relations, launched U.S.-sponsored negotiations in April aimed at reaching a peace agreement and permanently ending the Israel-Hezbollah war.
On June 26, the two sides reached a framework agreement in Washington providing for an Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese Army, beginning with two "pilot zones."
The deal, however, is contingent on the disarmament of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which has flatly rejected both the agreement and the negotiations underpinning it.
Following the sixth round of talks in Rome last week, the two sides agreed on the structure and guidelines for implementing the pilot zones, according to the United States.
Rubio said Washington remained committed "to supporting the successful implementation of the Trilateral Framework and to backing the Government of Lebanon's efforts to deliver peace, economic recovery, and a better future for the Lebanese people."
Hezbollah drew Lebanon into the regional war on March 2 by launching attacks on Israel in support of Iran. Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion. Despite a cease-fire, it continues to carry out sporadic strikes and maintains troops in parts of southern Lebanon that it describes as a "security zone."
Before departing for Washington, Aoun's office said his meetings would focus on the situation in Lebanon, strengthening the cease-fire, and securing Israel's withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory.
The diplomatic visit comes as the United States carried out airstrikes on Sunday to "punish" Iran following the first U.S. military deaths since open hostilities reignited the regional conflict.
Earlier in the day
Aoun arrived Saturday evening at Andrews Air Force Base with First Lady Neemat Aoun. Alongside the White House meeting, he is scheduled to hold talks with senators and senior U.S. officials on the "cease-fire," developments in southern Lebanon, and the Israeli withdrawal.
Upon arriving in Washington, Aoun met Lebanon's ambassador to the United States, Nada Hamadeh Mouawad, who oversees the direct Lebanon-Israel negotiations. He was also briefed on the Lebanese community in the United States and other matters related to the visit.
The trip follows the talks in Rome, the 6th round of negotiations, which centered on establishing the two "pilot zones" that would enable the Lebanese Army to deploy in southern Lebanon under the June framework agreement. Israeli forces have occupied parts of the south since the latest conflict with Hezbollah erupted on March 2.
A process of direct negotiations between Lebanon and Israel has been underway since April, and a framework agreement was signed in June between the two countries. Israeli troops have occupied parts of southern Lebanon since the re-escalation of the latest war on March 2.
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