U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that France’s intervention to resolve the crisis in Lebanon is bound to fail unless the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons is not dealt with first.
“The United States has assumed its responsibility, and we will stop Iran buying Chinese tanks and Russian air defense systems and then selling weapons to Hezbollah [and] torpedoing [French] President [Emmanuel] Macron’s efforts in Lebanon,” Pompeo told France Inter radio, according to Reuters
“You can’t allow Iran to have more money, power and arms, and at the same time try to disconnect Hezbollah from the disasters it provoked in Lebanon.”
French President Emmanuel Macron visited Lebanon in early September after the massive explosion in the Beirut port on Aug. 4, and helped Lebanese political parties agree to make Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany, Mustapha Adib, the prime minister-designate.
However, he has not yet addressed the major issue of Hezbollah’s weapons and power in the country.