Marco Rubio Condemns Hezbollah’s Call To Overthrow Lebanon’s Government

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Hezbollah’s “reckless call” to overthrow Lebanon’s government, warning that the group’s “threats of violence” would fail.

“Home News Business Energy Opinion Lifestyle Sports Video Podcast Home News Business Energy Opinion Lifestyle Sports Video Podcast Close the sidebar Home News Middle East Rubio said “the era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end”

Al Arabiya English

Rubio accused Hezbollah of pursuing “a deliberate campaign to destabilize” Lebanon and dragging it back to “chaos and destruction,” while also saying the group continued attacks on Israeli positions and moved fighters and weapons into southern Lebanon despite repeated calls to respect the ceasefire.

Naharnet

The remarks came hours after Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said the Lebanese government should step down if it is unable to protect the country’s sovereignty and that citizens have the right to “take to the streets” to bring it down and confront what he described as a US-Israeli agenda.

Shafaq News said that since March 2, Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 3,151 people and wounded 9,571 others, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, while Hezbollah said its retaliatory rocket and drone attacks were carried out in response to “Israeli ceasefire violations and strikes on southern Lebanese villages that have killed and wounded civilians.”

Roya News reported that Naim Qassem’s call for mass protests followed renewed “Israeli” strikes and US sanctions targeting Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-affiliated financial institution that provides interest-free loans primarily to Lebanon’s Shia communities during the country’s economic crisis.

Qassem said, “the people have the right to go down onto the streets and to bring down the government” in response to pressure on the institution and continued attacks on Lebanon.

Roya News

Rubio said in a statement that “Hizballah’s threats of violence and overthrow will not be allowed to succeed,” adding that “The era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end.”

Roya News also said the political escalation came as Washington and Tehran continued negotiations aimed at ending the regional war, and it cited a draft memorandum of understanding that includes language indicating the conflict between ‘Israel’ and Hezbollah in Lebanon could come to an end as part of a broader agreement.

Al Arabiya English said Rubio accused Hezbollah of trying to plunge Lebanon “back into chaos,” denouncing what he called Hezbollah’s “reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government.”

“Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio”

Roya News

Al Arabiya English reported that Qassem responded to Israeli strikes and US sanctions on the al-Qard al-Hassan financial institution by saying, “The aggression against al-Qard al-Hassan is an aggression against hundreds of thousands of poor people and those with limited income.”

The article said the Lebanese government has been under US pressure to take action against the firm as Washington ratchets up pressure on Iran-backed Hezbollah, and it quoted Rubio: “Hezbollah’s threats of violence and overthrow will not be allowed to succeed.”

Al Arabiya English also stated that a fourth round of talks is scheduled for June 2 and 3 in Washington, and it described a ceasefire that came into effect on April 17 and was recently extended for several weeks while Israel continues to strike what it describes as pro-Iranian Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and Hezbollah continues attacks on Israeli targets in the south.