Begin US visit may hinge on Israeli troop pullout

The State Department said Wednesday Israel and the United States agree that a visit by Prime Minister Menachem Begin is ''not opportune'' as long as there is no agreement about the withdrawal of Israeli and other troops from Lebanon.

An American official in Jerusalem, who asked not to be identified, reportedly told the Washington Post that the President sent Mr. Begin a letter earlier this month saying he did not want a meeting between the two leaders to be dominated by details surrounding Israel's presence in Lebanon.