US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s efforts to disarm the Hezbollah terror group during their meeting in Washington, DC, on Sunday.

It was the first trip to the US capital by a Lebanese head of state since Michel Sleiman was received by Barack Obama in 2009. Aoun is slated to meet with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Rubio “commended the courage of the government of Lebanon, under President Aoun’s leadership, for their determined effort to reclaim Lebanon’s sovereignty, disarm Hezbollah and dismantle its terrorist infrastructure, and move towards peace,” according to a US State Department readout.

Hezbollah pulled Lebanon into the Middle East war on March 2, when it began striking Israel in support of its backer, Iran.

Israel responded with airstrikes and a ground invasion, and, despite a ceasefire, it continues sporadic attacks while IDF troops remain stationed in several areas in the south, in what Israel describes as a security zone.

Israel and Lebanon — which do not have formal diplomatic relations — began US-sponsored negotiations in April aimed at reaching a peace deal and permanently ending the Israel-Hezbollah war.

On June 26, they reached a framework agreement in Washington under which the Israeli military is to withdraw from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese army is to deploy, starting with two “pilot zones.”

But the agreement is contingent on the disarmament of the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah, which has flatly rejected both........

© The Times of Israel