Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is en route to Washington for a White House meeting with US President Donald Trump, marking a critical juncture in US-led efforts to stabilize the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The visit, the first by a Lebanese head of state to the US since 2009, comes as negotiations over Israel's military presence in southern Lebanon enter a new phase. Main Developments Aoun left for Washington on Saturday at Trump's invitation. He is scheduled to meet the US president and other senior officials next week to discuss strengthening the ceasefire, securing Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, and restoring stability across the country, according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency. The talks will also address extending the Lebanese state's authority over all its territory. This visit follows a recent round of US-mediated talks in Rome, where Lebanese and Israeli officials agreed on next steps for creating "pilot zones" in southern Lebanon. In these zones, Israeli troops would begin withdrawing while the Lebanese army assumes security control. The pilot zones are part of a framework agreement reached in June aimed at gradually ending Israel's military presence in the region. Read also: US Marines Board Commercial Tanker in Gulf of Oman Background The current conflict escalated from months of cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah that began after Israel's military campaign in Gaza in October 2023. It spiraled into a full-scale war in March following US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Although a ceasefire is now in place, Israeli forces remain inside parts of southern Lebanon and continue launching periodic strikes as negotiations over a longer-term settlement drag on. Hezbollah has rejected both the framework agreement and calls to disarm, which is a key condition for Israel's withdrawal. Israeli officials have stated that their troops will remain in what they call a 10-kilometer "security zone" along the border as long as Hezbollah remains armed. The group insists that only continued pressure from its ally Iran can bring an end to the war and secure Israel's withdrawal. Since March, more than 4,000 Lebanese have been killed and over a million displaced by Israel's war on Lebanon, according to Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health. Israeli forces have continued air strikes even during negotiations, with Lebanese state media reporting new attacks on two towns in the Tyre and Nabatieh regions on Saturday. Why It Matters The Aoun-Trump meeting represents a high-stakes diplomatic push to resolve the impasse over Israel's military presence in southern Lebanon. Without a clear deadline for withdrawal, the ceasefire remains fragile, and periodic violence threatens to reignite full-scale conflict. The talks also carry broader implications for the region, as Hezbollah's refusal to disarm and its reliance on Iran complicate any lasting settlement. For Lebanon, extending state authority over all territory is a crucial step toward sovereignty and stability, but it remains contingent on Hezbollah's cooperation. The outcome of the Washington talks could determine whether the US-led mediation gains traction or stalls, leaving southern Lebanon in a prolonged state of occupation and insecurity. What's Next Following Aoun's White House visit, US officials are expected to push for concrete progress on the pilot zones and broader withdrawal framework. However, the agreement sets no timeline for Israeli forces to leave, and withdrawals are tied to Hezbollah disarming—a condition the group has flatly rejected. The next round of talks may need to address this fundamental obstacle, but no date has been announced.