Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday that the US sees no distinction between Hezbollah’s political and military arms, hours after conceding that the group is part of the "political process" in Lebanon.
"Hezbollah entanglement in regional conflicts threatens the security of Lebanon and has destabilizing effects on the region," Tillerson said during a joint press conference with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut.
The Iran-backed group is part of the Lebanese government and is openly participating since 2013 in the fighting in Syria alongside troops loyal to the head of the regime, Bashar Assad.
This leads to division in Lebanon, which has adopted a policy to distance itself from the Syrian war, said Tillerson.
Hezbollah’s presence in Syria has "perpetuated the bloodshed, increased the displacement of innocent people and propped up the barbaric Assad regime,” he said.
“It's impossible to talk about stability, sovereignty and security in Lebanon without addressing Hezbollah,” Tillerson told reporters.
“The Unites States has considered Hezbollah a terrorist organization for more than two decades now. We neither see nor do we accept any distinction between its political and its military arms,” he said.
Youth and Sports Minister Mohammad Fneish, who is a Hezbollah member, snapped back, saying "the last country that has the right to talk about terrorism is the US … that is a sponsor to the Zionist entity, ISIS and al-Nusra Front."
"The United States bears a grudge against the resistance and doesn't want us to defend ourselves," he said.
