President Aoun meets US congressional delegation; Ronny Jackson emphasizes commitment to Lebanon

3^min

President Joseph Aoun met with a congressional delegation led by Congressman Ronny Jackson, with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson in attendance. The discussions focused on U.S.-Lebanese relations, border security, and economic stability.

In remarks after the meeting, Jackson emphasized Washington's continued commitment to Lebanon, saying, "It's been a long, historic relationship, and we want to make sure that we can provide the resources and the support that we've traditionally provided, and this is a critical time to do that. Of course, with Lebanese Armed Forces, we want to make sure that we're continuing to support that endeavor."

He expressed optimism about regional developments, stating, "We want to see Lebanon, not just Lebanon, but the entire Middle East, enter a new era of peace and prosperity. And I think that's completely possible right now. A lot of things have changed... but I do think that it's a unique opportunity to reset a lot of what's going on in this region of the world."

Addressing border security, Jackson said: "We want to see the borders re-established completely. We want to see Lebanon have complete control of its border, but we want it to be a safe border. We want Lebanese living on one side and Israelis living on the other side. And we want them to be able to look across the border and see each other, and both feel safe."

Regarding concerns about Beirut's airport, he stated, "I don't know much about the airport issue, so I can't really answer that question."

However, he reaffirmed U.S. support for the Lebanese Armed Forces. "We want the Lebanese Armed Forces to be in control of the country and the security of the country… It's their responsibility to secure the borders and to provide security as soon as possible."

In response to a question about whether any Lebanese politician attending former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral would be aligning with Iran, Jackson separated himself from that statement.

"I wouldn't share that opinion. With regard to the funeral, I understand that this is a difficult situation here… I think this should be an opportunity to look at, you know, one chapter closing, another chapter opening."