Nasrallah Slams Hariri for Making ‘Big Mistake’ of Harming Ties with Iran

Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah expressed pride in the party’s ties with Iran and slammed Caretaker Premier Saad Hariri for allegedly “making a big mistake” in harming Lebanon’s relations with Tehran.

“We are proud of our relationship and alliance with Iran and Syria,” Nasrallah said in a statement broadcast on television on Saturday night.

"You won't find WikiLeaks here because what we say publicly is what we say privately,” he said about the latest cables leaked by the website.

The Hizbullah leader accused Hariri of seeking to harm the country’s ties with Iran, saying “you accused me of damaging Lebanese-Arab relations after my speech on Bahrain … you can’t say what you said about Iran as long as you are a caretaker prime minister.”

He added that Hariri could verbally attack Iran only as leader of al-Mustaqbal movement.

Nasrallah was referring to the latest war of words between the two foes when Hariri accused Iran of meddling in Lebanon's affairs and taking Arab societies "hostage," sparking a harsh rebuke from Hizbullah.

The Shiite party secretary-general also slammed Bahrain for allegedly threatening to expel some Lebanese citizens, warning that such a move “would lead to complications.”

He did not specify what he meant by such complications.

Last month, Bahrain made a formal complaint to the Lebanese government over Nasrallah’s offer of support to mainly Shiite protesters demanding reforms in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

Bahrain also suspended flights to Lebanon and warned its nationals not to visit Beirut after Nasrallah criticized Arab states for backing Bahrain's rulers while supporting the rebels in Libya.

Defending Syria, Nasrallah said: “Syria never expelled any Lebanese from its territories despite all what the March 14 forces said about it.”

Nasrallah also called for the quick formation of the government, hinting that the new cabinet would be made up of political figures and some technocrats.