U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Washington’s objective in Lebanon is to ensure Hezbollah does not retain weapons capable of threatening Israel, stressing that a strong Lebanese government is key to achieving lasting stability.
“If a strong Lebanese government controls the country, Hezbollah will be disarmed,” Rubio said at a news conference. “We are doing everything we can to strengthen the Lebanese government.”
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A Hezbollah tunnel containing weapons and military equipment
(Photo: AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Rubio said there is broad agreement that no one wants Hezbollah to again threaten the region or operate as an Iranian proxy. He added that peace would be impossible if Israel feels threatened.
“Clearly, if they threaten Israel, there will be no peace,” Rubio said. He said he hoped talks between Lebanon and Israel would advance, while noting he was not speaking on behalf of the Israeli government. Rubio said Israel has made clear that if it feels threatened by Hezbollah, it will act to defend itself.
“To achieve peace, that must be avoided, and the best way is a strong Lebanese government,” he said. “That is what we are committed to, and that is what we are trying to achieve. We are doing everything we can.”
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army has located an underground Hezbollah military facility in the village of Kfara in southern Lebanon, according to a source cited by the Saudi-owned outlet Al-Hadath. The source said dismantling the site, which contains equipment and weapons, would take several days.
On Friday, the ceasefire monitoring mechanism committee convened in the southern Lebanese town of Naqoura. Israel began participating in the committee’s talks after Lebanon announced it would include a civilian representative to address civil and economic issues.
Israel’s deputy national security adviser, Joseph Draznin, attended the meeting. Participants in a second civilian session included former Lebanese ambassador to the United States Simon Karam and U.S. envoy to Lebanon Morgan Ortagus.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office confirmed that Draznin took part in the U.S.-sponsored meeting in Naqoura with the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and under the direction of the acting head of Israel’s National Security Council.
“The meeting is a continuation of the security dialogue aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese army,” Netanyahu’s office said. It added that participants discussed ways to promote economic projects to demonstrate the mutual interest in removing the Hezbollah threat and ensuring sustainable security for residents on both sides of the border.
Lebanese reports said the meeting lasted about two hours. The Hezbollah-aligned Al-Mayadeen television channel claimed the Lebanese delegation presented demands calling for an end to what it described as Israeli violations that it said were hindering the Lebanese army’s operations.
Earlier, the military released rare footage from the interrogation of Imad Amhaz, a senior commander in Hezbollah’s naval unit who was captured about a year ago during a raid by Shayetet 13 naval commandos along Lebanon’s northern coast.
In the footage, Amhaz describes the leadership of Hezbollah’s secret naval unit, naming the group’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah, followed by senior commander Fuad Shukr, and another senior figure who remains alive, Ali Abd al-Hassan al-Nour.
The Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, confirmed Friday that Shayetet 13 commandos carried out the operation, known as “Behind the Back,” in Batroun in northern Lebanon, resulting in Amhaz’s capture.
According to the Israeli military, Amhaz served in Hezbollah’s coastal missile unit and underwent training in Iran and Lebanon. The military said he gained extensive maritime experience intended for carrying out attacks at sea and also trained at the civilian maritime institute Marste in Lebanon.