Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is scheduled to meet U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday. The meeting comes as pressure mounts on Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, a key condition Israel has set before withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon. The talks follow a U.S.-brokered agreement between Lebanon and Israel to begin implementing control in certain 'pilot areas' of southern Lebanon through the Lebanese army.

Aoun, a vocal critic of Hezbollah’s involvement in the recent Middle East war, hopes Trump will press Israel to withdraw from occupied Lebanese territories. Israel, however, insists it will not pull back until Hezbollah is disarmed, a stance supported by Washington. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Lebanon’s efforts to restore sovereignty and dismantle Hezbollah’s armed infrastructure, while analysts warned the agreement could prove highly unfavorable for Lebanon.

Aoun, Lebanon’s first president invited to Washington since 2009, is expected to seek additional U.S. support for the Lebanese army to carry out the difficult task of disarming Hezbollah, as regional tensions remain high.