WASHINGTON, May 21 (UPI) -- Hezbollah's efforts to help the Assad regime win the civil war in Syria is a concern to the United States and its allies, a White House spokesman said Tuesday.
Press secretary Jay Carney told reporters President Obama's call to Lebanese President Michel Suleiman Monday is "a sign that we are concerned, as are our partners and allies, about the expansion of this conflict."
"We have condemned, and condemn again, Hezbollah's direct intervention in the assault on Qusayr ... where Hezbollah fighters are playing a significant role in the regime's offensive," Carney said. "Hezbollah's occupation of villages in Syria and its support for the regime and pro-Assad militias exacerbate and inflame regional sectarian tensions and perpetuate the regime's campaign of terror against the Syrian people."
Carney said he thinks the support Syrian President Bashar Assad has received from Hezbollah and Iran "says a lot about ... where he is looking for assistance."
"And we strongly condemn that direct intervention," he said.
Carney said the United States continues to provide direct, non-lethal assistance to the Syrian rebels and humanitarian aid to the Syrian people while pushing for a political transition in Syria.
