Los Angeles Times
In an unusual statement, the Bush administration charged Wednesday that there was "mounting evidence" that Iran, Syria and the militant group Hezbollah were trying to engineer the overthrow of the elected government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
American officials said they had evidence that the two countries were trying to help create a new "unity" government that would give greater influence to their Hezbollah allies.
They contended that Syria was also trying to block legislation that directed Lebanese cooperation with an international tribunal investigating the slaying of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syrian officials have been implicated in the February 2005 attack.
But U.S. officials declined to provide details, saying they could not disclose information from intelligence sources. Sean McCormack, the chief State Department spokesman, said there were "strictures" on what he could say because "we collect a lot of information I can't talk about."
He said Hezbollah chief Sheik Hassan Nasrallah recently warned in a speech that "the Siniora government take certain steps or Nasrallah and his compatriots would see that it falls."
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