( dpa ) - The United States Friday said the Lebanese government knew it was sending the USS Cole to the waters off Lebanon, and that it was in "regular consultation" with the prime minister.
Gordon Johndroe, the National Security Council spokesman, was answering questions about Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora's denial that the ship was there and that his government had not asked for support.
"We have regular consultations with Prime Minister Seniora and his government, as well as our allies," Johndroe told reporters.
The purpose of the US ships in the eastern Mediterranean was "a show of support for regional stability."
Seniora earlier Friday said his government had not called for "any intervention."
"The government refuses to allow Lebanon to become an arena for settling regional conflicts," he said in Beirut.
Johndroe also reacted to Hezbollah's criticism that the US was threatening Lebanon with a warship.
"I would express some of our own concerns with Hezbollah's actions," Johndroe said.