TRUMP PROMISES SUBSTANTIAL AID TO BEIRUT

WASHINGTON, JULY 21 /SRNA/ - U.S. President Donald Trump has promised to provide substantial aid to Lebanon after its president, Joseph Aoun, requested Washington's support in efforts to disarm Hezbollah and move forward on a path of peace with Israel.

During a meeting with Aoun at the White House, Trump stated that Lebanon has been a "very mistreated country" that has been "hit hard" for decades.

"It is probably a dangerous place in many ways. But they love their country and we will help it. We will help it a lot," Trump told reporters.

Aoun, the first Lebanese president invited to Washington since 2009, asked Trump for political support and continued assistance for the Lebanese army, which has begun deploying in the southern regions under a U.S.-backed framework agreement with Israel.

"We must support the Lebanese Armed Forces. Without them, everything will collapse," Aoun said, as reported by the AP.

The Lebanese president, a former military commander, added that the army is the "backbone of security and stability" and the most trusted institution.

When asked whether Washington would exert additional pressure on Israel to withdraw from Lebanon, Trump said: "We will look into that."

Lebanon is under pressure to prove that it can disarm Hezbollah and that it will actually do so. Disarming the militant group is a condition set by Israel for ending the occupation of territories in southern Lebanon.

In March, Hezbollah carried out a rocket attack on Israel, dragging Lebanon into the war in the Middle East.