"Patience toward Iran won't last forever," US Assistant Secretary of Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker, who is currently visiting Israel, said on Wednesday in a briefing with Israeli journalists.
"[US President Donald] Trump is doing everything he can to avoid a military confrontation with Iran," Schenker said, noting that in response to Iranian provocations "the president has preferred to respond with extremely harsh sanctions."
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He added: "The [Iranian] regime has tried withstanding the sanctions while claiming the damage hasn't been too severe. However, the economic situation in Iran is very rough."
Iran's activities, according to Schenker, "are an expression of its frustrations under the heavy pressure, but President Trump has practiced strategic patience and has avoided using military force. But how long will this patience last?"
Schenker's comments fall in line with recent statements by a US official with ties to the administration, as reported by Israel Hayom, whereby there was a considerable chance the US could attack Iran before the presidential elections in the US in another year.
In a related security matter, meanwhile, the US rejected a request from Israel to condition its assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which has supported the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.
According to a State Department spokesperson, the US remains committed to strengthening the capacity of the Lebanese army to secure Lebanon's borders, defend its sovereignty and preserve its stability, and that no Lebanese expenditures or purchases of military materiel has been delayed.
"The United States continues to support the efforts of the Lebanese people to form a new efficient and effective government that will bring economic reform, and an end to endemic corruption," continued the spokesperson. "We have expressed clearly our concerns at violence or provocative actions against protesters, and note efforts by the LAF and other institutions to ensure the rights and safety of the protesters."
"We have confidence in the Lebanese army, and we think they are important partners in the fight against Sunni jihadists," Schenker said at the briefing with Israeli journalists.
Israel has expressed concern that funding that goes to the Lebanese Armed Forces has supported Hezbollah. The LAF, which received $100 million last year from the United States, and Hezbollah are known to have cooperated together.
Jewish Policy Center senior director Shoshana Bryen told Jewish News Syndicate, meanwhile, that "it is important for the State Department to take military aid to Lebanon under review – not least because the government under which the Lebanese Armed Forces operates is dominated by Hezbollah, a US-designated terror organization allied with Iran and pledged to Israel's destruction."
Furthermore, she continued, "as the people of Lebanon demand a government that is not dominated by sectarian interests or by Iran, the LAF has been defending the government from its people, killing at least one demonstrator this week. It is entirely unclear how American arms and training for the LAF furthers stability or peace in the region."
Parts of this article were reprinted with permission from JNS.org.
