Lindsey Graham abruptly ends meeting after Lebanese general refuses to label Hezbollah terrorists

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., swiftly pulled the plug connected a gathering with Lebanese Chief of Defense Gen. Rodolphe Haykal aft the Lebanese authoritative refused to corroborate that the Iranian regime-backed Hezbollah question is simply a violent organization.

Graham posted to X a blunt connection astir his vexation with the authorities of Lebanon successful peculiar and Mideast powerfulness authorities successful general.

 "I conscionable had a precise little gathering with the Lebanese Chief of Defense General Rodolphe Haykal. I asked him constituent blank if helium believes Hezbollah is simply a violent organization. He said, ‘No, not successful the discourse of Lebanon." With that, I ended the meeting. They are intelligibly a violent organization. Hezbollah has American humor connected its hands. Just inquire the U.S. Marines," 

He continued, "They person been designated arsenic a overseas violent enactment by some Republican and Democrat administrations since 1997 – for bully reason. As agelong arsenic this cognition exists from the Lebanese Armed Forces, I don’t deliberation we person a reliable spouse successful them. I americium bushed of the treble talk successful the Middle East. Too overmuch is astatine stake."

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Haykal’s refusal to admit that Hezbollah is simply a violent enactment acceptable disconnected information alarm bells among starring experts connected the movement.

Matthew Levitt, a starring student connected Hezbollah from the Washington Institute, told Fox News Digital that, ‘Gen. Haykal’s remark is lone going to further concerns that the LAF sees Hezbollah arsenic an histrion with which it should deconflict, alternatively than disarm. The ceasefire statement is wide that Hezbollah indispensable beryllium disarmed, successful some the southbound and northbound of the country. In respective instances to date, the LAF appears to person shared with Hezbollah targeting quality obtained from Israel done the US-led mechanics alternatively than acting connected it."

U.S. Marines hunt for survivors and bodies successful the rubble, each that was near of their barracks office successful Beirut, aft a violent termination car weaponry was driven into the gathering and detonated, sidesplitting 241 U.S. servicemen and wounding implicit 60. The American subject was successful Beirut arsenic portion of a Multinational Peacekeeping force. The Islamic Jihad, aboriginal to go Hezbollah, a violent organization, claimed work for the onslaught that coincided with the bombing of the French subject office astatine the eight-story 'Drakkar' building. Nov. 24, 1983, Beirut, Lebanon  (Peter Charlesworth/LightRocket via Getty Images)

He added, "At a clip erstwhile the LAF is seeking planetary aid, purportedly to disarm Hezbollah, failing to admit the radical arsenic an adversary not lone of Israel but of Lebanon arsenic good undermines the lawsuit for further funding."

Fox News Digital sent aggregate property queries to Lebanon’s embassy successful Washington D.C.

ISRAEL WARNS HEZBOLLAH ‘PLAYING WITH FIRE,’ PRESSES LEBANON TO ACT ON WEAPONS PLEDGE

Lebanese Army vehicles patrol the country of Marjayoun successful confederate Lebanon adjacent the borderline with Israel connected Oct. 25, 2024 (AFP via Getty Image)

Sarit Zehavi, a starring Israeli information adept connected Hezbollah from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox News Digital that, "I was not amazed by what Haykal said. This is precisely the problem. Hezbollah is not designated arsenic a violent enactment successful Lebanon. The Lebanese army... is not consenting to clash with Hezbollah. Hezbollah is not consenting to voluntarily disarm. It volition not hap arsenic agelong arsenic determination is nary clash."

Zehavi claimed the Lebanese Armed Forces has "helped Hezbollah to conceal is subject enactment and weapons storages successful southbound Lebanon."

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham speaks during a property league connected Saint Michael's Square successful the metropolis halfway connected May 30, 2025 successful Kyiv, Ukraine. (Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

The U.S. brokered a ceasefire successful Nov. 2024 betwixt Hezbollah and Israel. In August, Lebanon’s authorities accepted an American program to disarm the radical by the extremity of 2025. That deadline does not look to person been met.

U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, who besides serves arsenic envoy to Syria, said astatine a caller Milken Institute lawsuit that Lebanon is simply a "failed state." 

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Barrack said, "The confessional strategy does not work. A Maronite president, a Sunni premier curate and a Shia speaker; 128 parliamentary seats divided arsenic betwixt Islam and Christians; everything is simply a deadlock."

He said, "Hezbollah is simply a overseas violent by U.S. standards," and "it besides happens to beryllium a ample governmental enactment wrong Lebanon that has blocking rights… This thought of saying you person to disarm Hezbollah … you’re not really gonna bash it militarily."

Barrack said, "The U.S. is saying Hezbollah needs to beryllium disarmed, Hezbollah is simply a overseas violent organization, it cannot exist. My idiosyncratic sentiment is you termination 1 terrorist, you make 10. That can’t beryllium the answer." He urged the Lebanese governmental enactment to "run to Israel and marque a deal...there is nary different answer."

In this photograph released by the Lebanese Presidency property office, Lebanese president Joseph Aoun, right, meets with U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, successful Baabda, eastbound of Beirut, Monday, July 7, 2025. (Lebanese Presidency property bureau via AP)

Walid Phares, an American world adept connected Hezbollah and Lebanon who has advised U.S. statesmanlike candidates, told Fox News Digital that "The disarming of Hezbollah is not conscionable a U.S. and planetary petition but besides and astir importantly a petition by a bulk of Lebanese since astatine slightest the Cedars Revolution successful 2005, erstwhile 1.5 cardinal Lebanese Christians, Druze and Sunnis rallied against the Syrian concern and the Khomeinist militia."

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Hezbollah fighters clasp flags arsenic they be the memorial of their slain person Sheik Abbas al-Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli airstrike successful 1992, successful Tefahta village, southbound Lebanon. A United Nations authoritative has drawn scorn from Israeli diplomats for thanking 1 of the panic group's apical leaders pursuing a meeting. (AP)

He added, "While the Assad forces withdrew, Hezbollah remained armed. In May 2008, the extremist Shia militia conducted an municipality subject coup against the pro-Western authorities and seized afloat powerfulness until the Israel-Iran war, known arsenic the 12-day warfare of 2025. The second was provoked by Hezbollah siding with Hamas during the Oct. 7 war."

Fox News Digital reported successful November that the Trump administration ramped up unit connected the Lebanese government to disarm Hezbollah.