US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Lebanon on Saturday. He may threaten sanctions if he suspects Hezbollah of siphoning off state money.
Mike Pompeo, United States’ Secretary of State, is set to arrive in Lebanon on Saturday. At the top of the agenda is to tame Hezbollah, as part of the US’s broader strategy to limit Iranian influence in the region.
Over the last decade Hezbollah has grown from Iran’s militia into a regional militant force. Not only did it its men fight alongside Bashar al Assad’s soldiers in Syria and return war-hardened, it also aided Shia militias in Iraq and is suspected of supporting the Houthis in Yemen. Before Lebanon formed a government in January, the US had sent a message to the Lebanese politicians to ensure that Hezbollah did not walk away with the cash-rich health ministry. However, American attempts failed and the group succeeded in placing a man close to Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s chief, as health minister.
Hanin Ghaddar, a fellow at the Washington Institute, said that it is time the US flexed its economic muscle and made Hezbollah’s domestic allies know that they risk irking the US with their relationship to a group the US listed as a terrorist organisation back in 1997. “The health ministry has a specific budget with every single penny accounted for, earmarked for something. How can Hezbollah use that money for itself?”
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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