The recent visit of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Beirut sent a clear message that the Trump administration has prioritized curbing Iran’s influence on US assistance to Lebanon and efforts to limit the burden of Syrian refugees.
Pompeo called on the Lebanese people to stand up to Hezbollah, and claimed more pressure on Iran was forthcoming.
He made a veiled threat that the Lebanese state should either adopt the US stance against Iran and Hezbollah, or it would be considered as taking the party’s track, and rejecting Washington.
But Lebanese officials were quick to insist that Hezbollah is "a Lebanese group that is not a terrorist organization and was elected by the people."
President Donald Trump's declaration that it's time the US recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights clouded Pompeo's visit to Beirut.
Lebanon’s former ambassador to Washington Riad Tabbara ruled out any possible military confrontation between US and Iran following Washington’s recognition.
“Washington is seeking to limit its military operations in the region and not increase them,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat.
“As for the Iranians, they cannot afford such a war,” he said.
But Tabbara said that Pompeo’s call on Lebanon to stand up to Iran, put some of the country’s demands aside. They include assistance to Lebanon on the return of Syrian refugees and efforts to demarcate the maritime border.
The head of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, Dr. Sami Nader, said Lebanon needs a different approach on Hezbollah after former President Barack Obama’s softer stance on Iran was changed when Trump struck a blow to the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
Pompeo’s message to Lebanon includes a warning that the US doesn't want to harm it but that Lebanese officials should mull ways to differentiate between Hezbollah’s political and military wings, Nader told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Several high-ranking US officials who had visited Beirut ahead of Pompeo were also clear that Lebanon needs to distance itself from the Iranian track, Tabbara said.
