Netanyahu Says Hariri's Resignation a 'Wake-Up Call to Int'l Community'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and his stated reasons, should serve as an "alarm call" to the world about Iran's “aggression.”

Hariri said earlier he was stepping down, citing Iran's "grip" on Lebanon and what he called threats to his life.

"The resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri and his remarks are a wake-up call to the international community to take action against Iranian aggression," Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language statement released by his office.

Israel says that Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah has long held the reins of power in Lebanon and is seeking to strengthen its role in neighboring Syria, where it is allied to President Bashar al-Assad in the country's brutal civil war.

Iran, said Netanyahu, "is trying to turn Syria into Lebanon II."

"This aggression endangers not only Israel, but the entire Middle East," he added. "The international community must unite and stand up against this aggression."

In a speech broadcast from Saudi Arabia by the Al-Arabiya news network, Hariri accused Tehran of "creating a state within the state... to the extent that it gets the final say on how Lebanon's affairs are run."

"Iran has a grip on the fate of the region's countries," Hariri said. "Hizbullah is Iran's arm not just in Lebanon but in other Arab countries too."

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Hariri confirmed what Israel has long been saying.

"In practice Lebanon has been occupied by Hizbullah and the Iranians," he told the private Reshet TV channel on Saturday.

"This axis is operating inside Lebanon, inside Syria and is extending its patronage into the Gaza Strip," Lieberman said.