Describing Lebanon’s Hezbollah as “very strong”, a Pentagon official said the biggest challenge to US goals in the region is Iran.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dana Sterol described Iran as a key US challenge in West Asia (Middle East).
In an interview with the American news network Al-Hurra, Sterol said, her country seeks coordination through a large network of coalitions and partnerships to work on common goals and interests, and the biggest challenge to these goals and interests is Iran and Iran’s support for what she described as “terrorism.”
Sterol said: “The biggest challenge is Iran and its support for terrorism throughout the region and building a network of militias and newcomers that threaten not only US forces but also our partners and their sovereignty and stability.”
The second official called the second challenge “terrorism” and violent extremist organizations such as ISIS and al-Qaeda, which tear down weak communities and try to intimidate people to prevent them from fulfilling their demands.
While former US President Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that ISIL was made by the former US president, the US official said, adding that the US and its partners are working to strengthen the counter-terrorism force to counter terrorism, which she claims is led by Iran and violent extremist organizations.
The US official described Hezbollah as “very strong” and added that “I think Hezbollah in Lebanon has succeeded in challenging Lebanon because of the continuous support it receives from Iran …”