US warns Middle East not to use Lebanon to cause conflict

According to Reuters, on November 10, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned countries and organizations not to take advantage of the situation in Lebanon as a tool to cause a larger war in the Middle East region, and affirmed that Washington firmly supports Lebanon's independence.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. (Source: NBC News)

The US State Department posted a statement by Mr. Tillerson, stating: "Any foreign forces, militias, or other armed elements that are not legitimate Lebanese security forces have no role or place in this country."

Meanwhile, according to Press TV, Iran's Press TV channel reported on November 10 that the Commander of the Southwest Asia Front of the US Air Force Central Command, Mr. Jeffrey Harrigian, said that it is important to come up with diplomatic solutions to resolve tensions surrounding Lebanon instead of heading towards a war.

Speaking to reporters during a visit to Dubai on November 10, Mr. Harrigian stressed that the key issue is to find diplomatic solutions to the tensions surrounding the country.

In addition, Mr. Harrigian also accused Iran of possible involvement in ballistic missile attacks launched from Yemen into Saudi Arabia.

On the same day, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia would fail in Lebanon like it did elsewhere in the region. The Hezbollah leader also said the Riyadh government would not be able to defeat the group.

Earlier on November 4, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri suddenly announced his resignation in a televised speech from the capital of Saudi Arabia, citing "Iran's increasing political influence in the region" and that his life was in danger.

Mr. Hariri's shocking statement has raised concerns that Lebanon, a country already divided between Mr. Hariri's faction and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, could once again be engulfed in violence, as the country becomes the center of a regional struggle for influence between Saudi Arabia and Iran./.

According to Vietnam+