Report: Army Chief Says Clash between Army, Hizbullah ‘Out of Question’
Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun affirms that any clash between the Lebanese army and Hizbullah “is out of question,” noting that Hizbullah is a basic “Lebanese component,” al-Akhbar daily reported on Thursday.
The daily said that the army leadership is aware that “some in the U.S. administration today are relying on a future clash between the Lebanese army and Hizbullah.” But high-ranking military sources told al-Akhbar that “no American military has raised any such notion since Aoun took command of the army.”
The sources confirmed that Aoun, during his four visits to the United States since taking office, told US officials that "Hizbullah is a basic Lebanese component and the political agreement in the country is to regard the weapons as a means to defend Lebanon in the face of Israeli aggression.”
The sources told al-Akhbar that Aoun “clearly explained to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during their meeting in the Ministry of Defense that a clash between the army and Hizbullah is unthinkable.”
"The atmosphere at the US Department of Defense is quite different from the statements made by current administration officials. Meetings between the Lebanese and US military are limited to counterterrorism missions,” added the sources.
Source: Naharnet
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