BEIRUT, Lebanon, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah suggested the Shiite movement rejected militarization of regional conflict centered on Syria.
The U.S. Departments of Treasury and State last week sanctioned Hezbollah for backing the Syrian regime, under pressure for the international community for fighting in the country.
The Shiite resistance movement in Lebanon is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. government.
The movement's Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem was quoted by The Daily Star newspaper in Lebanon as saying his group opposed foreign interference in the conflict.
"We said repeatedly that we are against the entry of arms from Lebanon to Syria and of armed men to Syria and Lebanon," he added.
Syrian influence dominated affairs in Lebanon before Beirut gained more autonomy in the aftermath of its Cedar Revolution in 2005. A series of internal political skirmishes and kidnappings in Lebanon, however, have sparked concern the crisis in Syria could spill across the borders.
Former Lebanese Interior Minister Michel Samaha and Syrian Maj. Gen. Ali Mamlouk were charged last week in Lebanon with plotting to assassinate key political figures and launch terrorist attacks in the country.
