U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she had warned Syria against a potential attack against neighboring Lebanon.
“A clear message has been delivered to Damascus stating that Washington will not tolerate a Syrian military intervention in Lebanon,” Rice told Al Arabiya New Channel in an exclusive interview published Friday.
Syria controlled Lebanon for years, but withdrew its forces after the death of Lebanese anti-Syria politician Rafik Hariri in 2005. Since then, however, Syria has been waiting for a chance to reassert its influence in Lebanon. Any excuse, as the United States knows, will do.
The U.S., meanwhile, fears such a Syrian move because it would alter the balance of power in the region; the U.S. and Lebanon are (marginal) allies, whereas Syria is one of America’s main enemies.
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