The US is pressuring top Lebanese officials not to allow Hezbollah or its allies to nominate the country's next finance minister, in an attempt to limit the Iran-backed group's sway over the state. Washington's intervention in Lebanon's sectarian politics appears aimed at capitalizing on shifts in the power balance in the Middle East, with Hezbollah weakened from last year's war with Israel and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad ousted from power. US officials have passed on messages to Lebanon's prime minister-designate and president that Hezbollah should not be included in the next cabinet. Allowing Hezbollah or its ally to nominate the finance minister would hurt Lebanon's chances of accessing foreign funds to help meet a huge reconstruction bill from last year's war.