WEB DESK
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held talks with Prime Minister Saad Hariri today in Beirut where he offered Washington’s support for a free and democratic Lebanon.
Tillerson’s visit, part of a tour of the West Asia, comes at a time of tension between Lebanon and neighbouring Israel, notably over the role of Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah.
The Iran-backed group, a member of Hariri’s government, is an arch-foe of Israel and branded a “terrorist” organisation by the United States. It is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and has fighters on the ground in the war-torn country supporting the regime.
Hezbollah’s influence was at the heart of a political crisis in Lebanon over Hariri’s shock resignation announced from Saudi Arabia in November that was later rescinded.
After his talks in Beirut, Tillerson was due to head to Turkey seeking to ease tensions with the NATO ally over Ankara’s ongoing operation against a US-backed Kurdish militia inside Syria.
