US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called on the Lebanese to call for confronting the facts and accused Hezbollah of standing in the way of realizing the dreams of the Lebanese people, considering it a terrorist party. Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said that Beirut regards Hezbollah as a non-terrorist Lebanese party, .
In a press conference in Beirut on Friday evening, Pompeo said the party had reached the House of Representatives either through political promises or intimidation of voters, leading to the fragmentation of the state, describing Hezbollah as a terrorist party. He said that what he did was contrary to the interests of the Lebanese people .
In a statement after meeting with Lebanese political leaders - including Prime Minister Saad Hariri - the US secretary of state said: "The pressure we are exerting on Iran is clear; it is aimed at cutting off funding for terrorists and it is a success ... We believe that our work is already restricting Hezbollah's activities. Calling on Lebanon to confront the party, which accused him of "criminality and terrorism."
| Hariri (right) during his meeting with Pompeo (Reuters) |
Lebanese Defense
For his part, Basil said that Beirut regards Hezbollah as a non-terrorist Lebanese party and that it has a large base. At a news conference with his US counterpart, he said he hoped the issue would not affect the relationship with Washington.
The Lebanese presidency said that President Michel Aoun informed US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Hezbollah is a Lebanese party and has a popular base.
The Lebanese presidency said in a tweet on Twitter that Aoun told Pompeo that the priority is to maintain national unity and civil peace, and that Hezbollah is a Lebanese party with a popular base representing one of the main sects in the country.
Concern and Controversy
A statement issued by the Office of the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri stressed that during his meeting with Pompeo in Beirut, he stressed that Hezbollah is a Lebanese party represented in parliament and the government and that its resistance stems from the Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.
Late last February, Washington expressed concern over Hezbollah's growing role in the Lebanese government.
The statement added that Pompeo conveyed his country's desire to help deal with the issue of maritime borders with Israel.
Pompeo and Berri discussed the necessity of maintaining calm along the border between Lebanon and Israel. This comes at a time of escalating tension between Lebanon and Israel, against the backdrop of the latter's claim to sovereignty over the gas box No. 9 in the Mediterranean, while Lebanon affirms its ownership of this square.