President Joseph Aoun met on Friday with Army Commander Gen. Rodolph Haykal to assess the security situation in southern Lebanon, as preparations move forward for Haykal’s forthcoming visit to the United States.

The meeting also addressed arrangements for a series of talks Haykal is scheduled to hold with U.S. military and political officials in Washington in the coming days.

Haykal is expected to depart Lebanon on Saturday for Tampa, Florida, where he will visit the headquarters of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and meet with its commander, Gen. Brad Cooper. The discussions are set to focus on military and security cooperation between Lebanon and the United States, and are also expected to cover the future of the ceasefire monitoring committee, commonly referred to as the “mechanism.”

Haykal is then due to travel to Washington on Tuesday, February 3, where he will hold a series of security and diplomatic meetings with U.S. officials, members of Congress, and White House officials through February 5.

In a separate meeting, Aoun told a delegation of mayors from southern border villages that rebuilding towns and villages destroyed or damaged in the south is a top government priority, with the goal of enabling residents to return to their homes and farmland.

He also dismissed reports suggesting plans to establish buffer or economic zones in the area, saying no such proposals had been discussed with him.