Washington is likely to seek new ways of pressuring Lebanon to weaken the radical Islamist Hezbollah movement, even though its involvement will probably only serve to strengthen the militants, Russian Ambassador to Beirut Alexander Zasypkin has told Sputnik in an interview
BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 08th August, 2020) Washington is likely to seek new ways of pressuring Lebanon to weaken the radical Islamist Hezbollah movement, even though its involvement will probably only serve to strengthen the militants, Russian Ambassador to Beirut Alexander Zasypkin has told Sputnik in an interview.
The United States has been actively imposing sanctions on persons or entities with links to the movement.
"The way Americans think, sanctions must affect Hezbollah, damage it, one way or another. However, they cannot affect it financially, as the party does not have bank accounts. So we are talking about likely harm to those 'appointed' as people or organizations involved in Hezbollah's activity. Occasionally, there are signals about future restrictions against Hezbollah's political allies," Zasypkin said.
The ambassador added that the US will probably continue trying to increase the effectiveness of the restrictive measures.
"But, you have to take into account that these attempts will lead to deterioration of the general situation in Lebanon, while Hezbollah's positions will probably only strengthen," Zasypkin said.
Lebanon has been in a political and social turmoil since mid-October when the government of then-Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced tax hikes on internet calls and tobacco in an attempt to salvage a deteriorating economy. On January 22, a new government, led by Prime Minister Hassan Diab, was confirmed to deal with the ongoing political and crisis. The situation has recently taken a turn for the worse after a devastating explosion in Beirut.
