Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed Hezbollah Sunday for its calls to overthrow the Lebanese government.

“The U.S. stands firmly with the legitimate Government of Lebanon as it works to restore its authority and build a better future for all its people,” he wrote on X. “Hizballah’s threats of violence and overthrow will not be allowed to succeed.”

“The era in which a terrorist group held an entire nation hostage is coming to an end,” he declared.

In a separate statement, he condemned “in the strongest terms Hezbollah’s reckless call to overthrow Lebanon’s democratically elected government.”

The scathing remarks come in response to a statement from Hezbollah’s leader, Naim Qassem, who said “the people have the right to go down onto the streets and to bring down the government.”

Qassem was reacting to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets and United States sanctions on the Al-Qard Al-Hassan financial institution, which provides financial support to the terror group.

“This is a deliberate campaign to destabilize the country and maintain its power at the expense of the future of the Lebanese people,” Rubio said.

The Lebanese government “is working to deliver recovery, reconstruction, international assistance and a stable future for its citizens with the full support of the United States,” he added. “Hezbollah, by contrast, is actively trying to drag Lebanon back into chaos and destruction.”

Meanwhile, another round of talks between Jerusalem and Beirut is scheduled for early June. The discussions will address dismantling Hezbollah to allow the government of Lebanon complete governance over the country so that the IDF can withdraw from southern Lebanon.

Israel is concerned that the United States will tie a ceasefire with Iran to a cessation of hostilities with Lebanon, fearing that this will impede the Lebanese government’s ability to rein in the terror group and embolden Hezbollah. Naim Qassem has expressed support for this step.