US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that his country continues to support Lebanon at the political, economic and security levels, stressing the need to protect Beirut from Iran and Hezbollah’s threats. During a joint press conference with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Washington, Pompeo said: “This is a region that is threatened by Iran and is a nation threatened by its proxy Hezbollah.” The US official said his country continues to support the credible state institutions in Lebanon, essential to preserving Lebanese security, stability, and sovereignty, and to making sure that the needs of all of the Lebanese people are met. He also expressed US willingness to participate as a mediator and facilitator in the Lebanon-Israeli maritime discussions. “We do hope that we will soon see substantive discussions on these important issues, the resolution of which would be greatly beneficial to Lebanon and to the broader region.” Pompeo said he was very appreciative of the prime minister’s statement about the commitment to make progress towards the resumption of productive expert-level discussions for the handful of remaining points with respect to the Blue Line and the initiation discussions on the Israel-Lebanon maritime border. For his part, Hariri confirmed to Pompeo Lebanon’s commitment to continuing the negotiation process led by Ambassador David Satterfield on behalf of the US government concerning the country’s land and maritime borders. The Pompeo-Hariri meeting was held in the presence of former Lebanese Minister Ghattas Khoury, US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker and Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hill. Informed sources said the Pompeo-Hariri discussions tackled the political, security and economic developments in Lebanon, in addition to US sanctions on Hezbollah. Last month, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under the US Treasury Department, sanctioned two Hezbollah lawmakers Mohammad Raad, head of the party’s parliamentary bloc, and Amin Sherri, in addition to Hezbollah’s liaison and coordination unit official, Wafiq Safa. The Lebanese PM discussed with Pompeo the CEDRE Conference and Capital Investment Plan, which is essential to the revival of the Lebanese economy. “We are dedicated to advancing these initiatives which will bolster security and stability for Lebanon and the region,” he said.