Haley Urges Security Council to Consider Hizbullah a 'Destructive Terrorist Force'
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has urged the U.N. Security Council to consider Hizbullah "a destructive terrorist force" and "a major obstacle to peace" that is "dedicated to the destruction of Israel."
She said the council must get serious about enforcing its resolutions that involve Hizbullah and its backer Iran, including many calling on the armed group to disarm.
Haley said the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, must also do "much more" to help prevent another conflict, starting by acknowledging "illegal weapons that Hizbullah parades in front of the media."
She also warned that the alleged dangers Hizbullah poses "are getting larger, not smaller."
"The American people sympathize with the challenges facing the Lebanese people," Haley added.
"We will continue to support them as they combat ISIS and host over a million Syrian refugees," she said.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Iran and Hizbullah, which the United States considers a "foreign terrorist organization," of fueling the humanitarian disaster in Syria.
"Hizbullah is a menace to the Lebanese state, the Lebanese people and the entire region," he said.
"The group continues to increase its military arsenal which threatens to start yet another conflict with Israel," Trump said. "With the support of Iran, the organization is also fueling humanitarian catastrophe in Syria," he added.
Hizbulah's "true interests are those of itself and its sponsor, Iran," Trump went on to say.
Trump demurred when asked to comment on possible additional sanctions against Hizbullah.
"I'll be making my position very clear over the next 24 hours," he said. "I have meetings with some of my very expert military representatives and others, so I'll be making that decision very shortly."
Source: Associated Press, Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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