Tillerson warns region against using Lebanon as proxy for conflict

WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday warned other countries and groups against using Lebanon as vehicle for a larger proxy fight in the Middle East, saying the United States strongly backed Lebanon's independence.

Tillerson said he recognized Saad al-Hariri as Lebanon's prime minister and called him a "strong partner of the United States."

Hariri unexpectedly resigned his post at the weekend from the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh and accused Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world.