The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, stated on Sunday that Washington supports the government of Lebanon and that Hezbollah’s threats to overthrow the government “will not succeed.” The declaration, made on X and later reinforced in a State Department statement, came hours after the leader of the Iran-backed Shiite group, Naim Qasem, rejected the disarmament of the organization and pressed 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 Lebanese authorities to cease attacks and respect the ceasefire, of continuing to bombard Israeli positions and of moving fighters and weapons to the south of the country.
In a televised address, Naim Qasem said that handing over the group’s weapons would amount to its destruction. “Disarmament is annihilation, and we cannot accept it,” he stated. Qasem urged the Lebanese government to abandon talks with Israel and said he hoped that any eventual agreement between Washington and Tehran would include a truce also in Lebanon.
The statement comes amid the regional escalation involving Israel, Iran, Lebanon and groups backed by Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump stated over the weekend that negotiations with Tehran were advancing, although they still required a final definition. A new round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel is scheduled for June, in Washington.
