The Loyalty to the Resistance bloc highlighted on Thursday the role of the army in combating the threat of terrorism in Lebanon.
It said in a statement after its weekly meeting: “Diligence should be exercised in following up on the army's efforts to fighting terror.”
It then addressed freedom of the press, emphasizing freedom of expression in Lebanon.
“We hail those who speak the truth and reject attempts to silence voices of freedom for the sake of tarnishing facts,” said the Hizbullah bloc statement read by MP Hassan Fadlallah.
It expressed its solidarity with all those who speak the truth, “rejecting pressure exerted by some sides and countries against the media.”
It made its remark in reference to a lawsuit filed recently by Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awadh Asiri against al-Akhbar newspaper that is affiliated with Hizbullah.
The ambassador said he filed the lawsuit because the daily had “crossed its moral and professional boundaries.”
Earlier this month, al-Akhbar said Asiri's lawsuit was a “a direct threat to the lives of the institution’s employees, a blatant attack on the freedom of expression in Lebanon and a flagrant violation of norms and laws.”
It held the ambassador and his government fully responsible for “any form of moral, material or physical harm.”
The newspaper had published several reports against Saudi Arabia.
Tensions between Asiri and Hizbullah increased in the wake of Saudi Arabia's military operation against Yemen's Huthi rebels.
The party had slammed the operation, while the bloc on Thursday called for dialogue among the Yemeni people to reach a comprehensive solution to their country's crisis.
It condemned the “Saudi aggression against Yemen,” deeming it an historic mistake.
The operation, launched in late March, is aimed at defeating the rebels and restoring power to President Abderabbo Mansur Hadi.
M.T.
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