US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that both the Lebanese and the Israeli governments want the same thing: peace and Hezbollah gone.
In an interview with Fox News, Rubio said the Lebanese people are the victim of the pro-Iran organization, claiming that Israel has no territorial claims on Lebanon.
Asked about the Trump administration’s efforts to try and reach an agreement between Israel and Lebanon, the Secretary of State said the current ceasefire between the two nations “is very unique” because Lebanon and Israel are not at war.
“Israel’s problem is with Hezbollah. Unfortunately, Hezbollah happens to be inside of Lebanon conducting attacks against Israel,” he explained.
The top diplomat said both the Lebanese and the Israelis seek peace.
“They have no problem with one another. Israel has no territorial claims on Lebanon. There isn’t some part of Lebanon that Israel claims belongs to them.”
According to Rubio, the problem Israel has is not with Lebanon but with Hezbollah inside of Lebanon.
Also, he noted, the Lebanese have acknowledged that Hezbollah is a problem for them. “Not only is Israel the victim of Hezbollah, but so are the Lebanese.”
The US official noted that the efforts now focus on the ceasefire and to make sure that Israel has a right to defend itself from an imminent attack or an ongoing attack from Hezbollah elements, who will do everything they can to disrupt the ceasefire.
He said both sides agree that the answer is a Lebanese Armed Forces with the capability to go after and disarm and dismantle Hezbollah inside of their country.
“And that’s what we’re working towards establishing, is a system that actually works where vetted units within the Lebanese Armed Forces have the training, the equipment, and the capability to go after elements of Hezbollah and dismantle them so Israel doesn’t have to do it,” he added.
Rubio said US officials urged Israelis to measure themselves in their response, to make sure their responses are proportional and targeted, and so far that appears to be the case.
“I don’t know what’s happened since I’ve been in this room with you, but that’s so far the case because that’s important,” he said, adding that it’s acknowledged in the agreement that Israel has a right to deal with threats that Lebanon can’t deal with.
Asked whether he sees a scenario where Lebanon joins the Abraham Accords, Rubio said: “We’re not there yet.”
He added: “I mean, obviously that would be very promising, but we’re not at that point. I think what we perceive – and it’s pretty clear – is by and large there is no Lebanese-Israeli conflict per se.”
The Secretary of State said he thinks what needs to happen inside Lebanon is not just that the overwhelming majority of the country, the Sunnis and the Christians, say Hezbollah has been a nightmare for us, but even within the Shiite population that there be a rejection of Hezbollah.
“There should be one government, one armed forces inside of Lebanon, and it should belong to the Lebanese government. And that’s who we should be empowering,” he affirmed.
