Ford expressed the U.S.’s concern over the relationship between Damascus and Hezbollah, adding the U.S. has information that Syria is transporting weapons and military equipment to Hezbollah.

“The American administration is asking Syria to stop [military] aid to Hezbollah immediately and to recognize Lebanon’s sovereignty on its land in line with friendly relations and respect for each country’s sovereignty,” Ford said.

Ford’s comments came during an interview with Radio Sawa, a U.S.-based radio station funded by the U.S. Congress and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Ford also spoke about the unrest in Syria and urged the Syrian government to open lines of communications with the opposition and with Syrian society.

Syria has witnessed a series of protests since March 15, with demonstrators demanding reform in the tightly controlled Arab state. The unrest is the first of its kind on this scale in almost 50 years of monolithic Baath Party rule. Syrian military and security forces have carried out arrest sweeps, cracking down on protestors across the country.

Earlier this month the United States has imposed sanctions on three senior Syrian officials, Syria’s intelligence agency, and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard following U.S. President Barack Obama’s repeated appeals to the Syrian leadership to end the violent crackdown.