U.S. officials continue to monitor Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s tour of Lebanon, amid mounting concerns of arms deals and political collaboration between Iran and radical Lebanese subgroups. 

(Credit Creative Commons via Pan-African News Wire)

According to State Deptartment spokesman, Philip Crowley, Ahmadinejad is enlisting the support of subgroups, such as Hezbollah, to undermine the sovereignty of the Lebanese government. 

The tour coincides with an ongoing standoff between Hezbollah and Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri over unconfirmed reports linking Hezbollah members to the 2005 assassination of Hariri's father, former Prime Minster Rafiq al-Hariri. Tensions over the UN-backed tribunal investigating the incident have increased steadily in recent weeks, raising fears of renewed sectarian violence and a collapse of Lebanon's national unity government.

Ahmadinejad plans to give a speech near Israel’s northern boarder with Lebanon later today, while visiting southern villages destroyed during the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict.

Israeli officials say Ahmadinejad's visit is evidence that Lebanon is on its way to becoming an Iranian satellite. They also believe Hezbollah has approximately 15,000 rockets amassed on Lebanon's border with Israel, including some capable of hitting Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.

The visit marks Ahmadinejad’s first visit to Lebanon since becoming the President of Iran in 2005.

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