U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met in Washington and discussed the implementation of the trilateral framework agreement, according to Channel 12. Rubio reaffirmed the United States' commitment to supporting the deal.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met in Washington on Sunday and discussed the implementation of the trilateral framework agreement, according to Channel 12. Rubio reaffirmed the United States' commitment to supporting the agreement. The discussion marks the first substantive exchange on the deal's implementation since the two leaders met earlier in the day.
The Zioneer reported on Saturday (Jul 18, 10:36 Jerusalem) that Aoun had arrived at the State Department for the meeting, confirming earlier reports of the visit. The meeting was the latest in a series of high-level contacts during Aoun's visit, the first by a Lebanese head of state to the US in over a decade. Earlier reports tracked Aoun's departure from Lebanon, his arrival in Washington, and the absence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from the trip. The thread shows that the meeting was confirmed by multiple sources, evolving from initial announcements to on-the-ground reports.
The trilateral framework agreement, signed between Israel, Lebanon, and the United States on June 27, was hailed by Secretary Rubio as "the beginning of the beginning." The Zioneer reported on June 28 that President Trump called Aoun and pledged full US support for implementation. Background context also includes earlier phone calls between Rubio, Netanyahu, and Aoun to resolve final differences before the signing, as well as analyst reports of internal US administration disagreements over the negotiations.
The specific content of the implementation discussion was not disclosed. Aoun is scheduled to meet President Trump on Tuesday, and the status of key issues such as Hezbollah disarmament and Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon remain open.
7 developments
- DevelopingRubio, Lebanese President Aoun discuss Hezbollah disarmament and ceasefire with Israel
- StrongUS Secretary of State Rubio says US will help Lebanon 'take control' of territory to counter Hezbollah
- DevelopingRubio spoke to Netanyahu and Lebanon's Aoun overnight to resolve final differences
- StrongUS State Department endorses Netanyahu's stance: withdrawal from Lebanon conditioned on Hezbollah disarmament
Source and signal
- Internal intake