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Issa Sponsors Bipartisan Resolution Endorsing Vital, Enduring U.S./Lebanon Relationship

July 29, 2021

Washington, D.C. – Congressmen Darrell Issa (CA-50) and Darin LaHood (IL-18) today introduced a bipartisan resolution expressing solidarity with the people of Lebanon and coinciding with the one-year anniversary of the devastating and deadly chemical explosions in Beirut. Reps. Issa and LaHood are both co-chairs of the bipartisan U.S.-Lebanon Friendship Caucus.

House Resolution 569 also endorses the swift formation of an independent, democratic government and rebukes the terrorist organization Hezbollah and its continued control over Lebanon and its people. The resolution also outlines the importance of continued humanitarian efforts and details the central role of the Lebanese Armed Forces in securing the country and countering malign influence from bad actors, both internal and external.

Congressman Issa said,“The country of my grandparents is on the verge of becoming a failed state, and malign actors are circling like vultures. Working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the U.S.-Lebanon Friendship Caucus and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I will never stop my advocacy for our bilateral relationship, a corruption-free government, and the restoration of Lebanon as an arbiter of peace in the region. It is manifestly unjust that while they are successful in every corner of the world, the one place the Lebanese people are not able to be successful is their very own country. This must change.”

"As we approach the one-year anniversary of the tragic blast in Beirut that further destabilized the country and region, American support for the Lebanese people and the Lebanese Armed Forces is critical," said Congressman LaHood. "My resolution reaffirms United States' commitment to the people of Lebanon and to peace in the region. A strong, independent, and sovereign Lebanon can help provide stability in the Middle East, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to support a productive and sustainable U.S.-Lebanon relationship.”

“The House Resolution sends a very strong message to the Lebanese people that their survival and that of Lebanon are in the interests of the United States. As importantly, it sends a clear message to Lebanon’s government that members of Congress are concerned with its inability to conduct a transparent and credible investigation of the explosions and ‘calls on the Government of Lebanon to conduct a credible, impartial, and transparent investigation into the cause of, and responsibility for, the August 4 explosions, and include impartial international experts as part of the investigation team,”added Ed Gabriel, the American Task Force on Lebanon's President and CEO.

Read the full text of the resolution, here.

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