U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told President Joseph Aoun in a phone call that he should not return several hundred kilograms of explosives seized by Lebanese authorities from Hezbollah, a U.S. official said.
"He urged President Aoun to hold accountable all those who ordered, financed, and directed the shipment, and underscored that returning explosives to Hezbollah should be out of the question," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
The Iran-backed militant group acknowledged on Thursday that a 500-kilogram shipment of explosives belonging to it was seized last week by Lebanese authorities, saying it was intended for "the resistance."
"The vehicle and its cargo belong to the resistance" against Israel, Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah had said, adding that the group requested the release of those arrested over the seizure and demanded the return of the shipment.
Rubio also raised the issue of Lebanon's 1955 boycott law, which bans direct relations with Israel and "deters steps towards peace."
Rubio "emphasized that the law is impractical and urged direct military-to-military communication between Lebanese and Israeli forces for deconfliction," according to the U.S. official, adding it "would help to reduce miscalculation and to advance sequenced implementation" of the framework agreement.
Under international pressure, Lebanon has drawn up a plan to disarm Hezbollah, and negotiations between Israel and Lebanon facilitated by the United States led to the conclusion of a framework agreement at the end of June.