Hizbullah Says Not to Blame for Saudi Decision, Links Move to 'Financial Crisis'
Hizbullah on Friday dismissed accusations that its policies were behind a Saudi decision to halt military aid to Lebanon, attributing Riyadh's move to what the party called the kingdom's “severe financial crisis.”
“The Saudi decision on halting financial aid to the army and security forces has not surprised anyone in Lebanon at all,” said Hizbullah in a statement.
“The entire world, especially the Lebanese and the local and global financial institutions, know very well that Saudi Arabia is suffering from a severe financial crisis due to the hefty expenditure on its evil aggression against brotherly Yemen, and also due to the drop in oil prices in the global market, which Saudi Arabia itself has orchestrated,” the party added.
“Holding Hizbullah responsible for the Saudi decision because of its political and media stances in support for brotherly Yemen, Bahrain's aggrieved people and other peoples reeling under the fire of Saudi terrorism is a failed attempt that no sane person can believe,” it said.
The party also hit back at Lebanese officials who held it responsible for the crisis, noting that “the local choir of lies and hypocrisy that quickly jumps to baseless accusations and cheap adulation will not manage to conceal the truth that is known by the Lebanese.”
Hizbullah also stressed that the accusations “will not change Hizbullah's firm political stance on the developments and events in the region.”
In light of positions taken by Hizbullah, the kingdom has proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic," an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency earlier in the day.
Lebanon received the first tranche of weapons designed to bolster its army against jihadist threats, including anti-tank guided missiles, in April last year but the program then reportedly ran into obstacles.
Hizbullah is supported by Saudi Arabia's regional rival Iran, with whom relations have worsened this year.
Riyadh cut diplomatic ties with Tehran last month after demonstrators stormed its embassy and a consulate following the Saudi execution of a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric and activist, Nimr al-Nimr.
The official quoted by the Saudi Press Agency said the kingdom had noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hizbullah on the State."
He also deplored the "political and media campaigns inspired by Hizbullah against Saudi Arabia," as well as what he called the group's "terrorist acts against Arab and Muslim nations."
Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday accused Turkey and Saudi Arabia of dragging the entire region into war and said "victory" was imminent for his group and its Syrian regime allies.
Y.R.
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