Saniora: Nasrallah Has Steered Lebanon towards Conflict in the Region
The head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora slammed on Sunday Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's speech, saying that it has taken Lebanon on a “new and dangerous” track.
He said in a statement: “Nasrallah has steered Lebanon towards the conflict in the region.”
“He is supporting the Syrian regime at Iran's behest because it wants Hizbullah to serve as a base for it in Lebanon and the region,” he remarked.
The MP also slammed Nasrallah's “excuse” that the party is taking part in the fighting in Syria in order to protect Lebanese people residing in Syrian villages and religious shrines in the neighboring country.
“His actions are jeopardizing, not protecting, them,” Saniora noted.
“We seek the best ties with Iran, but based on mutual respect,” he added.
“This should relationship should not be based on implementing Iranian orders and achieving its interests because that will jeopardize Lebanon's civil peace,” he warned.
Moreover, he questioned “the Syrian regime's sudden interest to liberate the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights after over 40 years of calm in the area.”
“We have long said that we are proud to confront Israeli assaults, but on condition that such decisions be taken by the Lebanese state and not Nasrallah's actions that are allowing arms to flow freely in Lebanon,” Saniora added.
In addition, he predicted that the Hizbullah leader's stances will impact Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam's efforts to form a new government.
In his speech on Thursday, Nasrallah vowed to back “the Syrian popular resistance” in the Golan Heights.
“Just as Syria stood by Lebanon, we in the resistance declare that we will stand by the Syrian popular resistance that is aimed at liberating the Syrian Golan,” he said.
He also announced that the party is “ready to receive any game-changing weapons and we're competent to possess and protect such type of weapons and we will use them to defend our people.”
Nasrallah said the shipments of new types of weapons would serve as the Syrian reaction to Israel's airstrikes in the neighboring country last week. Syria has long been a conduit for Iranian weapons bound for Hizbullah.
Israeli officials say the Lebanese group has tens of thousands of rockets, but that most of them are unguided. Israeli officials said the shipments targeted in Syria twice last week included precision-guided missiles.
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