Rubio to Aoun: Returning the shipment of explosives to Hezbollah “should not be on the table”

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a phone call on Thursday that returning the shipment of explosives seized by the authorities to Hezbollah is something that “should not be on the table,” according to a US State Department official.

The official told reporters, requesting that his identity not be revealed, that Rubio “urged President Aoun to hold accountable everyone who ordered, financed and managed this shipment, stressing that returning the explosives to Hezbollah is something that should not be on the table.”

During his call with Aoun, the US Secretary of State also touched on the Lebanese “Israel Boycott Law” issued in 1955, which the US official said is “repeatedly used in judicial prosecutions of a political nature that hinder steps aimed at peace.”

Rubio stressed that this law is “impractical,” calling for “establishing direct communication channels between the Lebanese and Israeli armies to avoid clashes, which would reduce the possibility of miscalculation and help move forward toward implementing the tripartite framework in a sequential manner.”

The Lebanese presidency announced a phone call between Rubio and Aoun, during which the latter confirmed to the Foreign Minister that “the army and security forces are carrying out their duties in implementing decisions related to preventing armed demonstrations, confiscating weapons and ammunition, and combating smuggling.”