The statement comes amid regional escalation involving Israel, Iran, Lebanon and groups backed by Tehran
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this Sunday that Washington supports the Lebanese government and that Hezbollah’s threats to overthrow power “will not be successful.” The statement, made on X and later reinforced in a State Department statement, came hours after the leader of the Iranian-backed Shiite group, Naim Qasem, rejected the organization’s disarmament and pressured Beirut to abandon negotiations with Israel.
“The era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end,” Rubio wrote. In a statement, the secretary accused Hezbollah of ignoring requests from the Lebanese authorities to cease attacks and respect the ceasefire, of continuing to bomb Israeli positions and of moving fighters and weapons to the south of the country.
In a televised speech, Naim Qasem said that handing over the group’s weapons would amount to its destruction. “Disarmament is annihilation, and we cannot accept it,” he said. Qasem called on the Lebanese government to abandon talks with Israel and said he hoped that a possible agreement between Washington and Tehran would also include a truce in Lebanon.
The statement comes amid regional escalation involving Israel, Iran, Lebanon and groups supported by Tehran. US President Donald Trump stated over the weekend that negotiations with Tehran were progressing, although they still depended on a final definition. A new round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel is scheduled for June in Washington.
