Rubio Urges Lebanon Not to Return Confiscated Hezbollah Explosives, State Department Official Says
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun about the confiscation of hundreds of kilograms of explosives from Hezbollah, a State Department official said on October 16. Rubio urged Aoun to hold accountable those who ordered, financed and directed the shipment, and "underscored that returning explosives to (Hezbollah) should be out of the question," the official said. Rubio also urged direct military-to-military communication between Lebanese and Israeli forces for deconfliction.
A Hezbollah lawmaker, Hassan Fadlallah, said earlier that the explosives seized last week by Lebanese security forces from a car belonged to his group. A Hezbollah official and a Lebanese security source told Reuters the explosives were intended for use in explosive drones targeting Israeli troops occupying parts of southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese presidency said Aoun told Rubio the Lebanese army and security forces were fully carrying out decisions to prevent armed displays, confiscate weapons and combat smuggling, and asked Rubio to pressure Israel to halt attacks on southern Lebanese towns and villages. The Lebanese government banned Hezbollah's military activities on March 2.
Sources: U.S. Department of State official; Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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