The meeting, held at IMF headquarters in Washington, was followed by an expanded one attended by Central Bank Gov. Riad Salameh, Lebanese Charge d’Affaires in Washington Carla Jazzar, Hariri adviser Nadim Munla, and a number of high-ranking officials at the IMF. Hariri’s meeting with Lagarde also tackled the repercussions of the Syrian refugee crisis for Lebanon. “Views were identical between the Lebanese vision on how to deal with the impact of displacement and the recommendation of the IMF that focuses on implementing an investment program in infrastructure to stimulate growth and create new job opportunities,” the statement said. It added that the IMF had issued a recommendation identical to the Lebanese government’s vision and policy on dealing with the presence of more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

During the meeting, Hariri asked the IMF to conduct a study to define the negative impact of the Syrian displacement on the Lebanese state’s budget, the statement added. There are an estimated 1.5 million Syrian refugees living in Lebanon, according to government estimates, straining the country’s battered economy and weak infrastructure. Before leaving Washington Friday, Hariri met with Sens. James Lankford and Jeff Merkley on Capitol Hill. Discussions with the two senators focused on the legislation related to Lebanon being studied by Congress, a statement issued by Hariri’s office said, referring to the anti-Hezbollah sanctions.

Hariri also met with a delegation from the American Task Force for Lebanon headed by its president, Edward Gabriel. The meeting covered various aspects of the situation in Lebanon, the statement said. Hariri also visited Capitol Hill Thursday, meeting with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, chaired by Sen. Bob Corker with ranking member Sen. Ben Cardin. He was joined by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil and other members of the Lebanese delegation. “Discussions focused on the situation in Lebanon and Lebanese-U.S. relations,” the statement said. Hariri had earlier met with House minority leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi, House majority leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Rep. Ed Royce and Rep. Liz Cheney.

During his official visit, which he began Monday, Hariri has met with U.S. President Donald Trump and other senior officials with talks focusing on combating terrorism, the Syrian refugee crisis, military aid to the Lebanese Army and sanctions against Hezbollah, which Washington brands a “terrorist organization.”

One major outcome of the visit, the first by a high-ranking Lebanese official to the U.S. since Trump took office in January, was the State Department’s announcement Wednesday of a further $140 million assistance package to help Lebanon cope with the Syrian refugee crisis. The announcement came after Hariri’s meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson at Foggy Bottom.

Hariri said Thursday that his talks with U.S. lawmakers and senators centered on ways to shield Lebanon from the negative effects of the sanctions on Hezbollah. His remarks came after Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers introduced legislation on July 20 seeking to bolster sanctions against Hezbollah, accusing the Iranian-backed group of violence in Syria and amassing rockets along Israel’s border. A number of members of the U.S. House of Representatives have prepared the draft “Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2017,” which aims to cut off all forms of financial support to the party.

However, there was no immediate word on when or if the legislation might come up for vote in the House or Senate.

Among other things, the legislation would crack down on countries, including Iran, that support Hezbollah, and bar anyone found to be supporting the group from entering the U.S.

Politicians and bankers in Lebanon are worried that U.S. efforts to widen sanctions on Hezbollah could damage the country’s banking industry because of the group’s widespread influence in the country.

Hariri said he was confident that the U.S. would continue its aid for the Lebanese Army in the fight against terrorism.

Separately, President Michel Aoun reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, accusing Israel of violating Lebanese airspace and occupying Lebanese territory in a breach of the resolution. Aoun spoke during a meeting with U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag at Baabda Palace, according to a statement released by the president’s media office.

“Lebanon is fully committed to the implementation of Resolution 1701 with all its provisions because it realizes the potential risks that arise from the violation of this resolution,” Aoun told Kaag.

Referring to Israel’s frequent flights over southern Lebanon, he said, “Israel is still violating Lebanon’s airspace, occupying Lebanese territory and carrying out aggressive practices that constitute a clear infringement on the U.N. resolution.”

Lebanon has repeatedly proclaimed its commitment to Resolution 1701, which ended Israel’s 34-day war on Lebanon in the summer of 2006. The resolution called for an immediate end to hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the deployment of the Lebanese Army along the Israeli border, the establishment of a weapons-free zone south of the Litani River and the disarmament of Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.

Aoun also informed Kaag of the Cabinet’s recent demand to extend the mandate of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, for one year, while stressing the need to boost the current cooperation between the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL in the south, the statement said.

The president underlined the importance of the U.N. and the international community supporting the Lebanese Army in its battle against terrorism.

In a clear reference to Hezbollah’s successful offensive that drove out Jabhat Fatah al-Sham militants from the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal amid reports that the Lebanese Army was gearing up for a battle against Daesh (ISIS) in the same area, Aoun said: “Important steps have been made that will restore stability and security to the Lebanese-Syrian border which has suffered from terrorist attacks in past years.”

For her part, Kaag conveyed an oral message from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in which he wished the president success in leading the country and reaffirmed the United Nations’ continued support for Lebanon.