AFP:

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday urged Lebanon to pick a side as he visited the country on a regional tour to build a united front against Iran.

He especially expressed concern over the role of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite movement that is targeted by U.S. sanctions but holds three cabinet posts in Lebanon.

Pompeo flew in from Israel a day after he became the first high-ranking American official to visit the Western Wall in annexed east Jerusalem with an Israeli prime minister.

His visit also came just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington should recognize Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights, breaking with the policy of successive administrations as well as UN Security Council resolutions.

"Lebanon and the Lebanese people face a choice: bravely move forward as an independent and proud nation or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hezbollah to dictate your future," he said during a joint news conference with his Lebanese counterpart.

"The U.S. will continue to use all peaceful means, everything at our disposal to choke off the financing, the smuggling the criminal network and the misuse of government positions and influence," by Hezbollah, he said.

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