Hezbollah defiant as U.S. warns Lebanon of missile clash with Israel
Al Hayat newspaper says Americans gave Lebanese government evidence of the location of precision-guided missiles belonging to the terror group, prompting fiery speech by leader Nasrallah admitting to possessing the weapons
According to the London-based paper, the Americans apparently presented Lebanese officials (among which were Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri) with evidence of the facilities, including images and maps showing their exact locations.
The American warning is believed to be the reason behind a defiant speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday, in which he admitted that his Iran-backed organization possesses and continues to develop precision-guided missiles.
According to the report, the US delegation - headed by US Acting Assistant Secretary David Satterfield - asked the Lebanese officials to examine ways in which they can deal with the issue. Satterfield apparently emphasized that Washington can no longer ignore the evidence at its disposal and “can’t restrain Israel from taking action against the missile sites.”
One Lebanese source told the paper that Nasrallah was informed about the meeting by senior officials in the country, who emphasized to the terror group the location of the precision-guided missiles - which had been transferred to the terror group from Syria - are now known to the Israelis as well.
In his Friday’s speech, marking Al-Quds Day, Nasrallah claimed the U.S. was exploiting the talks it currently mediates between Israel and Lebanon on the issue of maritime border that has dogged Mediterranean oil and gas exploration for years, as an opportunity to have discussions on the issue of precision-guided missiles.
However, the terror group’s leader claimed they only have warehouses with precision-guided missiles and not workshops where such weapons are being produced.
"Various officials contacted us and asked us to evacuate and destroy our manufacturing facilities … but when I say we don’t have them, I mean it. If we did, I would’ve shown you to them right now.”
