Aoun returns from Washington, Lebanon awaits concrete results

BERIUT — President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Neemat Aoun returned to Beirut on Thursday evening after concluding an official visit to the United States at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, the state-run National News Agency reported.

NNA also reported Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called Aoun and welcomed him on his safe return from his visit to Washington.

Lebanese ministers and politicians welcomed Aoun’s visit which included a meeting between Aoun and Trump at the White House.

MP Ashraf Rifi welcomed Aoun’s visit to Washington and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s visit to southern Lebanon, in a post on X, describing them as the beginning of a national path aimed at restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty and its role among nations.

Rifi said the visit represented "a golden opportunity to move Lebanon out of the Iranian prison that has restricted the state and isolated it from its surroundings and the world," calling for the transition from political positions to implementation.

He said the objective should be "the full Israeli withdrawal from all Lebanese territory, the dismantling of Iran’s weapons in Lebanon, and the deployment of the Lebanese Army along the Blue Line, so that it alone guarantees sovereignty and security."

Berri also met with MP Ibrahim Kanaan at Ain al-Tineh. Following the meeting, Kanaan said: “President Aoun’s objectives during his visit to Washington were to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces, reaffirm Lebanon’s sovereignty, and support the Lebanese Army. These are goals that we must all work together to achieve.”

Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar said Thursday that the Washington visit was part of coordinated efforts between Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to help Lebanon recover from the war.

"The meetings in Washington should result in real American pressure on Israel to achieve this goal," Hajjar said, referring to efforts to secure Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon. He added that "the positive positions of U.S. President Donald Trump regarding Lebanon and President Aoun are encouraging," NNA reported.

Hajjar also said the Lebanese government had not received foreign instructions regarding the issue of the state’s monopoly on weapons, stressing that its position was based on its ministerial statement and decisions taken since it assumed office. He added that Berri supports efforts to secure Israel’s withdrawal and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south, saying his position is aligned with that of Aoun.

For his part, Agriculture Minister Nizar Hani described Aoun’s Washington visit as a positive step, pointing to what he called the strong attention given to the Lebanese president and the positive atmosphere surrounding his meeting with Trump.

"The visit of President Joseph Aoun to Washington is a positive step, and we saw the great attention that His Excellency the President received and the positive atmosphere that prevailed during his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump," Hani told Sawt Kel Lebnen.

Hani added that Lebanon had begun to see results on the ground, saying that "everyone is waiting for the broad Israeli withdrawal and the halt of destructive actions in the south." He said that withdrawals had begun from some southern villages and expressed hope that the process would accelerate in the coming days and weeks.

In comments relayed by NNA Thursday, Information Minister Paul Morcos said Aoun’s visit had reinforced the authority of the Lebanese state and strengthened international recognition of its role in decisions concerning the country.

"The visit of President Aoun established the state’s reference," Morcos told Saudi channel Al Ekhbariya, describing U.S. support for Lebanon as including military assistance to the Lebanese Army, international backing and encouragement for investment.

Morcos said the visit could open the door to expanded U.S. involvement in supporting Lebanon, including through a possible conference to assist the country and greater American investment.

Regarding security issues, Morcos said Aoun had made clear his confidence in the Lebanese Army and its leadership during his meeting with Trump, adding that U.S. military training and support for the army could continue and expand.

Morcos also said Trump’s willingness to speak with Hezbollah if requested by Aoun was significant because it recognized that the Lebanese state is the authority responsible for decisions related to the country.

"The important point is the clear recognition that any proposal related to Lebanon must be discussed with the Lebanese state and through its constitutional institutions," Morcos said.

As Lebanese officials welcomed the outcome of the Washington visit, they continued to emphasize that the next stage would be measured by concrete steps, particularly regarding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, the strengthening of state institutions and the expansion of international support for Lebanon.