| | | Date: Apr 12, 2019 | | Source: The Daily Star |  |  |  |
| | US support to Lebanese Army 'critical': congressman | BEIRUT: United States Congressman Darin LaHood said U.S. support for the Lebanese Army was “critical,” after meeting with Lebanese MPs in Washington Wednesday evening.
“It’s critical the U.S. continue to support an independent Lebanese Armed Forces,” the Republican lawmaker tweeted.
“As the Lebanese gov’t continues to stabilize, I underscored the importance of rooting out corruption and thwarting the influence of Iran and Hezbollah within Lebanon,” he added.
LaHood met with Lebanese MPs Ibrahim Kanaan and Yassine Jaber, who are in Washington to meet with a number of U.S. officials at a time of increased pressure on Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah.
He said a strong relationship between the U.S. and Lebanon “is essential to greater stability in the Middle East.”
A “strengthened bond” between Lebanon and the U.S. “must remain if our goal is to achieve lasting stability in the region,” he added.
LaHood, who is of Lebanese descent, said more than 8,000 Lebanese-American families reside in Peoria, Illinois, the town he represents in Congress.
“I am proud to be Lebanese-American. My family immigrated to Peoria from Lebanon through Ellis Island,” he tweeted. |
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