WikiLeaks: Khoja Described Hizbullah as ‘Devil,’ Said Shawkat was Planning to Kill Hariri

Saudi Arabia was fully convinced that Assef Shawkat, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s brother-in-law, was conspiring to kill caretaker PM Saad Hariri and former PM Fouad Saniora, according to a WikiLeaks cable.

During a meeting with then U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, Saudi chief of mission Abdul Aziz Khoja described Hizbullah as “the devil,” according to the cable dated November 3, 2007 and published Wednesday by al-Akhbar daily.

The ambassador stressed that Hizbullah and Syria reject the holding of presidential elections. According to the cable, Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun had approved the postponement of the elections to improve his chances of getting elected.

Khoja also predicted that Nassib Lahoud would be elected president and Najib Miqati would be named prime minister.

King Abdullah has advised Hariri to wait until after the parliamentary elections to be named prime minister, Khoja reportedly said. The leaked cable said that “Yes Sir” is Hariri’s only reply to any Saudi proposal.