Tillerson: Hezbollah is Part of the Political Process in Lebanon

Rex Tillerson, the U.S. Secretary of State, stated that Hezbollah is part of the 'political process' in Lebanon. During a press conference in Jordan on Wednesday, before heading to Lebanon, he said, 'We support a free, democratic Lebanon, free from the influence of others, and we know that Hezbollah is under the influence of Iran. This influence, in our view, is not beneficial for Lebanon's long-term future.' Tillerson added, 'We must also acknowledge the reality that they (Hezbollah) are part of the political process in Lebanon. I believe Lebanon is taking effective steps regarding the law to withdraw from (regional conflicts) that was passed last year, to send a message that the Lebanese do not want Hezbollah involved in any foreign conflicts and want Hezbollah to withdraw all its personnel from the Yemen conflict.' Hezbollah, supported by Iran, backs the regime of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian civil war alongside Russia and Iran. The U.S. considers Hezbollah a terrorist organization and has recently imposed sanctions against it. In January this year, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the formation of a special task force to investigate allegations of drug-related income by this group. AFP reports that it seems Rex Tillerson has adopted a softer stance towards Hezbollah before his trip to Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal has noted that while Hezbollah was previously a major issue in parliamentary elections, with the March 14 coalition led by Saad Hariri opposing the March 8 coalition of Shiite and Christian groups, these divisions have become less pronounced over the past year. According to the newspaper, the deterioration of relations between Saad Hariri and Saudi Arabia, as well as Hezbollah's successes in Syria, are among the factors that have diminished these divisions. Parliamentary elections are set to take place in Lebanon in about three months. Hezbollah, during Hariri's stay in Saudi Arabia, alongside other Lebanese parties, called for the Prime Minister's return to his country. In his continued press conference in Amman regarding Lebanon, the U.S. Secretary of State stated, 'I believe this is a long process. We support this democratic process in Lebanon. We support strengthening the Lebanese armed forces so that a legitimate security force under the full control of the Lebanese government is established to provide the security that the people of Lebanon deserve.' Rex Tillerson traveled from Jordan to Lebanon on Thursday, February 15. He will head to Turkey after Lebanon.