Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, July 18, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, July 18, 2026
Lebanon’s Aoun takes off to US for meeting with Trump
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This handout picture released by the Lebanese Presidency’s press office shows Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun (L) receiving US Ambassador to Lebanon Michael Issa at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, on July 9, 2026 (Lebanese Presidency/AFP)
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun leaves Beirut for Washington, where he is expected to meet Donald Trump, the Lebanese presidency says, after talks between Lebanon and Israel wrapped up in Italy.
Aoun will hold discussions “with several American officials on the situation in Lebanon and ways to strengthen the ceasefire,” particularly in Lebanon’s south, as well as on “the withdrawal of Israel from the Lebanese regions it occupies,” the presidency says.
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