A senior Hezbollah official has told AFP that the Iran-backed group has had “no direct contact” with President Donald Trump, despite recent statements from the US leader suggesting otherwise.

Senior Hezbollah official Mahmud Qomati told AFP in written remarks that “there has been no direct contact between President Trump and Hezbollah officials”. He said Trump “perhaps” was referring to the fact that parliament speaker Nabih Berri’s adviser “communicates with the US ambassador and passes on messages”.

Berri, who heads the Shia Amal movement and acts as an intermediary for ally Hezbollah, met US Ambassador Michel Issa again today.

Trump’s suggestion of direct contact with Hezbollah “shows to what extent the US administration is ready to abandon the Lebanese authorities at the least indication of contact with strong and influential parties in Lebanon”, Qomati said.