Private sources revealed to Al Arabiya and Al Hadath that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun presented to US President Donald Trump, during their meeting in the Oval Office, a comprehensive executive plan aimed at restricting weapons to the Lebanese state and ending Hezbollah's independent military status, within an integrated framework to implement Lebanese-Israeli understandings and restore state authority over all its territory.

According to the sources, the document presented by Aoun constitutes the executive roadmap for the Lebanese-Israeli framework agreement signed on June 26, and specifies the security and military steps required from both the Lebanese and Israeli sides, along with the expected role of the United States in supporting its implementation.

The plan stipulates that all military weapons in Lebanon be placed under the exclusive control of the state, including ending any independent military presence outside official institutions, foremost of which is Hezbollah's military structure, considering that the state's monopoly on weapons is the basis for restoring full sovereignty and achieving stability in the south.

Gradual army deployment

According to the sources, the document proposes that the Lebanese army begin deploying in a number of model villages in southern Lebanon, concurrent with a gradual repositioning or withdrawal of Israeli forces from those areas.

Under the plan, the military institution will ensure that these areas are free of Hezbollah fighters, its military structure, and weapons depots, with security and military responsibility gradually transferred to the Lebanese army alone, ensuring that no manifestations of armament outside state authority return.

The plan also calls for dismantling all non-state armed groups, with a special focus on ending Hezbollah's military structure, considering that a fundamental step to implement the framework agreement and stabilize the southern border.

US support for army building

On the side of relations with Washington, the document includes a detailed presentation of the Lebanese army's needs for funding, equipment, and logistical and military support, with the aim of developing its capabilities to independently assume its security responsibilities.

The Lebanese president requested from the US administration, according to the sources, to contribute to building a more capable and independent Lebanese army, enabling it to impose state authority over all Lebanese territory and protect the borders without the need for any parallel armed force.

In return, Aoun asked President Trump to use US influence to pressure Israel to implement a gradual withdrawal followed by a complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon, considering that the Israeli withdrawal is the main counterpart to the success of the disarmament plan and the transfer of security responsibility to the Lebanese state.

The sources stressed that the plan directly links the complete Israeli withdrawal to restricting weapons to the state, considering that implementing the two tracks in parallel constitutes the practical entry point to restore Lebanese sovereignty and end the military status that has existed for years.

They added that the US administration and relevant government agencies are currently studying the executive document presented by the Lebanese president, within the framework of ongoing consultations on mechanisms to implement the framework agreement and arrangements for the next phase in southern Lebanon.

According to the sources, the document affirms that the Lebanese state's monopoly on weapons, along with the completion of the Israeli withdrawal, represent the two main pillars to ensure the stability of the south and prevent the return of confrontations, and to open the door to a new phase in which official institutions alone assume the responsibility for security and defense in the country.

Key points

According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency, President Joseph Aoun stressed during the bilateral talks at the White House the urgent need for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory, considering that this constitutes a fundamental step to entrench stability and enable the Lebanese state to exercise its full sovereignty with its own forces, and to proceed with implementing the joint trilateral framework.

Aoun also reviewed before the US president the repercussions of the recent war on Lebanon, including the human and economic losses and extensive damage to infrastructure, emphasizing the importance of supporting recovery and reconstruction efforts.

The two sides also discussed ways to enhance US support for the Lebanese army, develop bilateral cooperation in various fields, support the economic recovery path, and encourage US investments in Lebanon. The Lebanese president also raised the importance of re-establishing direct air connectivity between Lebanon and the United States, a step that Trump later announced his support for by directing his administration to allow the resumption of direct flights by US airlines to Lebanon.

The talks concluded with an affirmation of continued coordination between the two countries to implement what was agreed upon, and to follow up on joint initiatives in the security, defense, and economic fields, which enhances Lebanon's stability and opens new horizons for cooperation between Beirut and Washington.

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