US official urges Hezbollah to allow displaced's return, reconstruction instead of 'pointless war'

Iran, Hezbollah, and others have repeatedly dragged both Israel and Lebanon into "pointless and destructive conflicts" and "Hezbollah has a simple choice: it can continue fighting a pointless war, or it can finally allow the return of the displaced and the reconstruction of Lebanon," a U.S. official said on Sunday.

In remark to U.S. news portal Axios, the official claimed "the terms on the table are fair, have the consent of both sovereign governments, and provide a clear path to end the fighting."

He was referring to a ceasefire agreement reached Tuesday in Washington which Hezbollah has rejected.

"Hezbollah is exclusively to blame for any continuation of hostilities," the official added, stressing that "the U.S. supports Israel’s right to self-defense and stands with the legitimate Government of Lebanon as it works to deliver a better future for its citizens."

"Hezbollah must stop firing immediately and allow these agreements to take effect," the official urged.

According to the U.S. official, Hezbollah "continues to cynically use civilian infrastructure, particularly civilian homes, to hide and store weapons."

"This endangers the lives and property of Lebanese civilians. All weapons must belong to the Government of Lebanon," the official emphasized, noting that "the U.S. fully supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity."

"This process is intended to sustainably enable Lebanon to be a sovereign state for the first time in decades, which will benefit Israel’s security," the official added.