Acting assistant US secretary of state David Satterfield told the conference organized by Tel Aviv University's INSS think-tank that “they will sustain our efforts to support legitimate state security institutions in Lebanon, such as the Lebanese Armed Forces, which is the only legitimate force in Lebanon.”
Satterfield, a former US ambassador to Lebanon, added that the Lebanese army "could well serve as a counter-weight to Hezbollah's desire to expand its own influence there, as well as Iran's reach in Lebanon".