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Ortagus said after meeting President Joseph Aoun on Friday that Hezbollah \u201cshould not be included\u201d in Lebanon\u2019s future government and that the inclusion of Hezbollah was a \u201cred line\u201d for Washington.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the comments, Mohammad Raad, head of Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc \u2013 the political wing of Hezbollah \u2013 in the Lebanese parliament, said the US envoy\u2019s statement was \u201cfull of hate and irresponsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt targeted a Lebanese component that is an integral part of the national agreement and Lebanese political life that stood up to Israeli aggression and emerged victorious,\u201d Raad said in a statement to the media on Friday, PressTV reported.<\/p>\n
Such American comments \u201care an unacceptable interference in Lebanese affairs and a disrespect to all diplomatic customs and international diplomacy rules,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Rejecting Ortagus\u2019s claim that Hezbollah was \u201cdefeated\u201d by Israel, the Lebanese MP said, \u201cThe victor is the one who has exposed the true image of the aggressor, revealing how it commits genocide against civilians, children, and women, targets homes and hospitals, and destroys entire residential neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raad stressed that Israel\u2019s war on Gaza and Lebanon exposed the regime\u2019s \u201cugly reality,\u201d and the global community can see who truly funds and arms terrorism and displaces people from their lands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe rely on the resistance of our people, which is based on the army-people-resistance equation, the realistic equation that Lebanon can be proud of as it preserves its sovereignty,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah\u2019s political council, also strongly responded to interventionist remarks by the US envoy and said Ortagus \u201cthreatened a large segment of the Lebanese people\u201d through her statements.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Lebanon\u2019s presidency also said in a statement on X that \u201csome of what was issued by the US Deputy Envoy to the Middle East, Morgan Ortagus, from Baabda Palace expresses her point of view, and the Presidency is not concerned with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to Ortagus\u2019s statement, the Jaafari Mufti, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan \u2014 a senior Shiite cleric and staunch Hezbollah ally \u2014 said in a statement, \u201cHezbollah is a national and representative force of Lebanon.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest development comes amid reports that the US has been hindering efforts aimed at the formation of a new government in Lebanon by \u201cpressuring\u201d the country\u2019s top echelons to restrict the influence of Hezbollah and its allies in the upcoming cabinet.<\/p>\n
Five unnamed sources, quoted by Reuters, said US\u00a0officials had passed on messages to Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam and to President Joseph Aoun to limit Hezbollah\u2019s sway over the country\u2019s sectarian politics.<\/p>\n
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