U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned on Thursday that Hezbollah's growing arsenal and involvement in regional conflicts threaten Lebanon's security.
Speaking alongside Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri at a news conference in Beirut, Tillerson also said the United States is engaging with Lebanon and Israel to ensure their border remains calm.
Israel regards Hezbollah, the heavily armed Iran-backed terrorist group based in Lebanon, as the biggest direct threat to its northern borders, and has repeatedly struck it in Syria, where the group is fighting alongside President Bashar Assad in the long civil war.
The Trump administration has taken a hard-line position on Iran and has placed sanctions on several people and entities associated with Hezbollah in recent weeks in an effort to increase pressure on Iran.
Shiite Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese coalition government led by Sunni Hariri, under a complex political system that promotes sectarian power-sharing.
"Hezbollah is not just a concern for the United States," Tillerson said.
"The people of Lebanon should also be concerned about how Hezbollah's actions and its growing arsenal bring unwanted and unhelpful scrutiny on Lebanon" and threaten Lebanon's security, he said.
"Hezbollah's presence in Syria has only perpetuated the bloodshed, increased the displacement of innocent people and propped up the barbaric Assad regime. Their presence in Iraq and Yemen has also fueled violence. And the consequences of Hezbollah's involvement in these far-off conflicts – which have nothing to do with Lebanon – are felt here," he said.
Hezbollah has always rejected any demand that it give up its weapons, which it says are necessary to defend Lebanon against Israel. It has said its role in Syria is needed to stop any Sunni militant threat to Lebanon, and in January said it believes the war there will be over in one or two years.
Tillerson's visit, the first by a U.S. secretary of state to Lebanon since 2014, had an awkward start as he waited several minutes in Baabda Palace for his meeting with President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally.
The Lebanese president's office denied any departure from diplomatic protocol and said Tillerson had arrived a few minutes early. Footage of him waiting aired on some Arabic TV channels throughout the day.
Arab media outlets reported that Tillerson was surprised when Lebanese Foreign Ministry officials were not at the airport in Beirut to greet him upon his arrival.
Israeli-Lebanese tensions have risen in recent months because of Israeli plans to build a wall at the border, and because of Lebanon's decision to begin exploring for oil and gas offshore in disputed waters along the border between the two countries.
Israel has recently escalated its threats over Lebanon's invitation for offshore gas exploration bids, saying Lebanon will be drilling in areas owned by Israel. Lebanese officials say the areas where they plan to drill belong to Lebanon.
The longstanding dispute resurfaced recently as Lebanon signed a deal with an international consortium to start exploratory offshore drilling next year.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman described the exploration tender as "provocative" and suggested Lebanon had put out invitations for bids from international groups for a gas field "which is by all accounts ours."
His comments drew sharp condemnation from Hezbollah, as well as from Lebanese officials, including Hariri.
"What is ours is ours and what is Israel's is Israel's. We are trying to find solutions that will be fair to us and fair to everyone," Hariri said at Thursday's news conference.
More than 800 square kilometers (300 square miles) of waters are claimed by both countries. U.S. officials have previously tried to mediate the dispute, most recently by David Satterfield, acting assistant secretary of state, who visited the border area in south Lebanon last week and accompanied Tillerson on Thursday.
Speaking of Israel's plan to build a security wall along the border with Lebanon, Tillerson said, "Let's get the border agreed first and then people can think about if they need a security wall or not at that point."
Aoun later said Tillerson had heard and understood the Lebanese position on the Israeli border.
Hezbollah, which the United States deems a terrorist organization, has increased its military strength since its last major conflict with Israel, in 2006.
Tillerson urged Lebanese leaders to uphold the country's commitment to stay out of regional conflicts.
Israel has accused Iran of trying to set up weapons factories in Lebanon. The IDF said last month that Lebanon had turned into one "large missile factory."
When asked about the maritime border dispute with Israel, including Lebanese media reports that the U.S. had asked Lebanon to give up a portion of the sea it claims, Tillerson denied the reports.
"We will continue to be very engaged with both parties. We've asked no one to give up anything, rather we are looking for a solution," he said. "We are engaging the governments of both Lebanon and Israel to ensure Lebanon's southern border remains calm."
During his short visit, Tillerson also reinforced support for the Lebanese government headed by Hariri, and for the Lebanese armed forces, a major recipient of U.S. military assistance.
