Aoun reportedly presents Trump with plan to disarm Hezbollah, strengthen army
President Joseph Aoun on Tuesday presented U.S. President Donald Trump in their Washington meeting with a formal plan to disarm Hezbollah and strengthen the Lebanese Army's authority, a U.S. source said.
"Aoun's plan to Trump constitutes an implementation roadmap for the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel," the source told Al-Arabiya television, noting that the plan "stipulates that all weapons in Lebanon be placed under state control."
"Aoun's plan to Trump aims to end Hezbollah's military status and confine weapons to the state. It outlines the Lebanese Army's needs in terms of funding, logistical support, and equipment," the source said.
The plan calls on Washington to "build a Lebanese army capable of independently fulfilling its responsibilities," the source added, revealing that Aoun asked Trump to "pressure Israel to implement a phased, then complete, withdrawal from southern Lebanon."
"A complete Israeli withdrawal is the primary condition for the disarmament plan Aoun presented to Trump," the U.S. source pointed out.
The U.S. administration and relevant U.S. agencies are reviewing the document, which "considers the state's monopoly on weapons to be fundamental to implementing the framework agreement and achieving stability in southern Lebanon," the source went on to say.
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