Hariri Accuses Nasrallah of 'Deception' over Yemen, Says Hizbullah Behavior 'Imported from Iran'
Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on Friday accused Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah of “falsification and deception” regarding the Yemeni conflict, noting that Hizbullah's Yemen rhetoric is “imported from Iran” and does not serve Lebanon's interest.
“Following in the footsteps of (Iran's supreme leader) Sayyed Ali Khamenei, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has excelled in falsification, deception and the shows of intimidation and sectarian mobilization,” said Hariri via Twitter, only minutes after Nasrallah launched scathing tirades against Saudi Arabia over its Arab-backed airstrikes in Yemen.
“What we heard was a chorus of historical fabrications, evocation of the past's grudges and a blatant manifestation of hatred against Saudi Arabia, its founder and its leadership,” said Hariri.
“Insulting the late King Abdul Aziz will put the insulters in the line of fire, from their biggest authority in Tehran to the smallest one in Dahieh,” he added.
In a televised speech earlier on Friday, Nasrallah launched a vehement attack against Saudi Arabia over its Yemen operation, accusing it of being the source of “takfiri ideology” in the world.
He also criticized the late King Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the founder of the kingdom. “After the founding king seized control of Hijaz, his Wahhabi followers -- inspired by their culture -- demolished all historic artifacts that have to do with the Prophet in April 1926,” said Nasrallah.
But Hariri stressed that “political escalation” will not manage to “distort the image, role or reputation of Saudi Arabia.”
“The scene that Hizbullah is presenting is imported from Iran and has nothing to do with Lebanon's interest,” Hariri warned.
He noted that “Hizbullah does not miss a chance to declare that it is capable of putting an entire sect in the Iranian basket.”
However, the Mustaqbal leader reassured that “Hizbullah's continuous escalation” will not “drag” his movement into stances that might “undermine the foundations of dialogue and civil peace.”
“If their job is to sacrifice Lebanon's interests for the sake of (Huthi chief Abdul Malik) al-Huthi's objectives, our responsibility obliges us not to be dragged into responses of the same nature,” Hariri added.
“We are keen to prevent strife in Lebanon while they are keen on rescuing Bashar Assad's regime and on the Iranian role that is interfering in Yemen and the Arab countries,” he went on to say.
Tensions between Riyadh and Hizbullah increased in the wake of Saudi Arabia's Arab-backed military operation against Yemen's Shiite Huthi rebels. The air campaign, launched in late March, is aimed at defeating the Iran-backed rebels and restoring power to President Abderabbo Mansour Hadi.
Y.R.
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