Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Newsmax that President Donald Trump hosting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House on Tuesday signaled a new era for the Middle East.
"This summit today, the first time that a Lebanese president has visited the White House and visited an American president since [Barack] Obama was in the White House," Banks said Tuesday on "National Report." "President Trump has done so much to bring long-term, lasting peace to the Middle East.
"His meeting today with the President of Lebanon is another piece of a complicated puzzle to negotiate peace between Israel and Lebanon, which is another testament to President Trump's incredible and historic diplomatic leadership that will give us more room to bring Iran to its knees."
Banks said this is just the beginning of what needs to happen.
"Lebanon has to do their part," he said. "They have to get Hezbollah out of their country, out of their government, eradicate Hezbollah from their country, and then that peace can begin between Israel and Lebanon. And that's in America's best interest. And President Trump understands that."
Banks said increased contact with Lebanon is a key element to regional and world peace.
"That gives us a stronger hand to do what we have to do to beat the bad guys, the regime in Iran, and prevent them from ever having a nuclear weapon, which will go down in history, I think, as one of the most important things that President Trump has done for America," Banks said.
Banks said diplomatic analysts are beginning to recognize Trump's strategy.
"All of the pieces of the puzzle here are not just about peace in the Middle East, but world peace," Banks said. "And President Trump, he's going to go down in history for a lot of reasons. But the long-term effect of preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon is in America's best interest.
"It's good for Israel, our ally, and other countries in the Middle East, but it's good for the world. And Europe and the rest of the world has come to understand that, maybe late to the game. President Trump's leadership around the world has made the world safer and will for a long time to come."
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Aoun in advance of the White House meeting Tuesday between Aoun and Trump. Rubio and Aoun discussed implementation of a U.S.-brokered framework agreement signed by Israel and Lebanon on June 26 aimed at ending their conflict.
"The Secretary 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," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.
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