Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States supports negotiations between Lebanon and Israel aimed at avoiding a broader conflict, while making clear that Hezbollah must no longer pose a military threat.
“At the end of the day, the goal everybody shares is a strong Lebanese government that controls the country and Hezbollah is disarmed,” Rubio told reporters at his year-end news conference on Friday.
He said Washington’s position is that no armed group should be able to threaten Israel.
“What I think is abundantly clear to everybody is that no one is in favor of a Hezbollah that can once again threaten Israel’s security,” Rubio said.
Rubio said US diplomacy has focused on empowering Lebanon’s government.
“That’s the goal here and we have tried in a cooperative way to do everything we can to empower the Lebanese government to have the ability to do that,” he said.
He said the talks are intended to prevent further escalation.
“So we are hopeful that the talks between Lebanon and Israel will create outlines and a way forward that prevents further conflict,” Rubio said.
He cautioned that peace would not be possible if Israel continues to feel threatened.
“If they feel threatened by Hezbollah, they will take actions in their defense against them,” he said.
Rubio said the best path forward is a strong central authority in Beirut.
“The best way to avoid it is to have a strong Lebanese government that can actually control the country and that Hezbollah is no longer an armed threat,” he said.
Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire intermittently along the Israel-Lebanon border since the Gaza war began, raising fears of a wider regional conflict.
The US has historically supported Lebanon’s state institutions while designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Washington has also backed UN and diplomatic efforts to prevent the Israel-Lebanon front from escalating into full-scale war.
(IANS)
