Speaking in Cairo on Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo set an
uncomfortabe goal for the United States in Lebanon, the expulsion of
Hezbollah. He said the US would never accept the status quo, wherein Hezbollah has a “major presence” in Lebanon.
The US has always had a problem with Hezbollah, viewing them as a
terrorist organization because of their history of fighting Israel. Yet
beyond its fighting force, Hezbollah is a huge faction inside Lebanon,
including a major political party within the current ruling coalition.
While Pompeo tried to spin Hezbollah as part of “Iranian adventurism”
across the region, the reality is that Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based
organization that is thoroughly Lebanese. There is no place to expel
them to.
Saying that the US will not accept the status quo effectively means the
US will continue to interfere in Lebanese elections going forward,
“warning” the Lebanese voters against electing a Hezbollah-backed
government. So far, that hasn’t been very successful, and Hezbollah’s
political fortunes don’t seem to be substantially hurt by the US.
Pompeo: US Won’t Accept Major Hezbollah Presence in Lebanon
Hezbollah is a major party in Lebanon's ruling coalition
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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