Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Thursday after Lebanese authorities seized Hezbollah explosives that one official said were meant for use in targeting Israeli forces.
A State Department official said the two spoke about the confiscation last week of several hundred pounds of explosives intended for use by Hezbollah. Mr. Rubio urged Mr. Aoun to prosecute those responsible for ordering and purchasing the explosives, adding that returning them to Hezbollah would be an unacceptable outcome.
Mr. Rubio was also critical of Lebanon’s 1955 Boycott Law during the call, which he argued has been abused for political purposes and has impeded the peace process between Israel and Lebanon.
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The criticism was in response to a complaint filed earlier this week by a Lebanese lawyer against Lebanon’s ambassador to the U.S., Nada Hamadeh Moawad, after reports said she contacted Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter after his son was injured in a terror attack in the West Bank.
Both diplomats have been engaged in U.S.-mediated peace talks for months. Hezbollah, which is not controlled by the Lebanese government, has openly refused to participate and has questioned the legitimacy of the talks.
The Lebanese Judiciary dismissed the complaint on Thursday following the call between Mr. Rubio and Mr. Aoun.
The two also discussed the situation in southern Lebanon, where the Israeli military occupies a large swath of land it uses to launch attacks into local villages.
“President Aoun asked Secretary Rubio to pressure Israel to halt these attacks, comply with the provisions of the framework agreement, cease land-clearing operations, and allow farmers to access their fields without being subjected to attacks or harassment,” a Mr. Aoun’s office said in a statement.
He also reportedly told Mr. Rubio that Lebanese security forces are working to confiscate weapons and ammunition, plus combat smuggling, adding that there will be “no leniency” toward those who violate the law.
The call comes after Hezbollah parliamentary member Hassan Fadlallah admitted Thursday that a truckload of explosives seized by Lebanese security forces last week was intended “exclusively for use against the Israeli occupation.”
The truck seized by authorities was carrying 550 pounds of TNT and 550 pounds of C-4 plastic explosives.
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