US ambassador to Lebanon: Israel doesn’t need permission to defend itself, Washington urging Beirut to disarm Hezbollah

The US ambassador to Lebanon says Israel doesn’t need US permission to defend itself and that Washington is pressuring Beirut to implement its decision to disarm the Hezbollah terror group.

“Israel assesses its own security needs and will take whatever measures it deems appropriate to protect its citizens. There is no need to obtain permission from the United States to do so,” Michel Issa, who took up the position earlier this month, tells the Haaretz daily.

Issa adds that Washington “urges [the Lebanese government] to implement the historical decision to disarm Hezbollah.”

Israel has escalated strikes in Lebanon in recent weeks, accusing Hezbollah of rebuilding in violation of the ceasefire deal that ended over a year of violence, including two months of open warfare.

Lebanon has faced US and Israeli pressure to disarm Hezbollah in accordance with the ceasefire, which envisions the Lebanese military and international peacekeeping force UNIFIL controlling southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has refused to give up its weapons.