Washington is waging a covert war against Hizbullah, according to a senior official in the Shiite movement, which accuses the US administration of arming anti-Hizbullah militias and seeking to undermine the Lebanese army.
"[US vice president] Dick Cheney has given orders for a covert war against Hizbullah...there is now an American program that is using Lebanon to further its goals in the region," Sheikh Naim Qasem, Hizbullah's deputy secretary general, told the Guardian in an interview published on Wednesday.
The accusation follows reports in the American and British media that the CIA has been authorized to take covert action against the Iranian-backed movement.
According to the reports, US intelligence agencies are allowed to provide "non-lethal" funding to anti-Hizbullah groups in Lebanon and to activists who support the government of Fouad Siniora. Hizbullah accused the Lebanese government of arming groups across the country. "This happens with the knowledge of the prime minister and is facilitated by the security forces under his command," said Sheikh Qasim.
The Bush administration recently set aside $60m (£30m) to fund the interior ministry's internal security force, which has almost doubled in size to 24,000 troops. Sheikh Qasim said there was a growing anti-Hizbullah bias in the security services. "The internal security forces have not succeeded in playing a balanced role... The sectarian issue is very delicate when it comes to the security services."
