Washington: We stand firmly with the Lebanese government, and Hezbollah’s threats to bring it down will not succeed

The U.S. State Department announced its strong condemnation of what it described as “escalatory calls” issued by Hezbollah against the Lebanese government, affirming that the United States remains committed to supporting the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Hezbollah has “repeatedly ignored the Lebanese government’s demands to halt its attacks and respect the ceasefire agreement,” considering the group’s continued transfer of weapons and fighters into southern Lebanon to be “a deliberate attempt to destabilize the internal situation and preserve its political and military influence at the expense of the Lebanese people.”

He added that the Lebanese government is pursuing a path of economic recovery, reconstruction, and the mobilization of international support, with direct backing from Washington, while “Hezbollah is pushing the country toward further tension and chaos.”

Rubio stressed that the United States “stands firmly with the legitimate Lebanese government,” emphasizing that threats to use violence or topple constitutional institutions “will not succeed,” and that the era of “Lebanon being held hostage by an armed group” is drawing to a close, in his words.