"... the US has fewer options in Lebanon..."

" Even as tensions over Iran’s nuclear program seemed to ease a bit, a new Middle East crisis erupted Wednesday during Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Persian Gulf tour, with the collapse of Lebanon’s government after a walkout by Hezbollah ministers.in contrast to the Iranian case, where the Obama administration doggedly stitched together a sanctions campaign that it claims has delayed Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear bomb, the United States has fewer options in Lebanon.......

critics say the administration’s engagement in Lebanon has been episodic, in part because it is preoccupied with bigger problems in the region — not just Iran, but the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the terrorist threat in Yemen. The United States also has little leverage over pivotal players in the drama, most notably the Islamic militant group, Hezbollah....

Mrs. Clinton said the United States would consult with all countries that have a stake in Lebanon to prevent the situation from deteriorating. A senior administration official traveling with her said she had been in touch in recent days with officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and France. But it was not clear that the United States was talking to Syria, he said... last weekend it was clear the Saudis had grown frustrated and decided to cut off the talks, according to Arab and Western diplomats who had roles in the talks and spoke on condition of anonymity, under diplomatic protocol. The American role has largely been confined to advising Mr. Hariri to stand firm in his support for the tribunal....

Administration officials have previously criticized Syria for interfering, but on Wednesday Mrs. Clinton held her fire."We don’t think it is at this moment useful to be pointing fingers or blaming or going about the business of recriminations about what did or didn’t happen, or who did or didn’t do what,” she said.... The only hopeful note, the administration official said, is that Hezbollah is using constitutional means to undermine the special tribunal, not turning its members out on the streets..."