Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah has blamed Saudi Arabia of exporting ISIL/ISIS ideology and transporting cars loaded with explosives for suicide attacks in Iraq.
In his televised speech, Nasrallah addressed Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz.
He said, “Your Majesty, the terrorist is those who exported the Daesh ideology to the world.”
“The terrorist is the one who dispatched thousands of Saudis to conduct suicide operations in Iraq and Syria, and it’s you.”
Secretary-General of Hezbollah also lambasted the KSA for its close ties with the United States and for the military campaign it is leading in Yemen.
Nasrallah’s comments came in response to political opponents and critics in Lebanon who criticised the Iran-backed party for damaging ties between the cash-strapped country and Saudi Arabia.
“We didn’t attack Saudi Arabia. They were involved in the greater conspiracy that was destroying the region,” the Hezbollah leader said.
After Hezbollah leader’s speech, Prime Minister of Lebanon Najib Mikati’s office said Nasrallah’s comments did not reflect the government’s position and a broad segment of the population. He said the government was committed to dissociating from regional conflicts, and Lebanese Premier urged all the political forces to cooperate to get the country out of its economic crisis.
“While we call for Hezbollah to be part of Lebanon’s diverse affiliation, its leadership is in opposition to this trend with positions that first harm the Lebanese and secondly Lebanon’s relations with its brothers,” the statement read. “For God’s sake, have mercy on Lebanon and the Lebanese, and stop the hateful political and sectarian charge.”
Strained ties
Lebanon is struggling to resolve a diplomatic dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, which have been critical of Hezbollah for their role in Yemen and other regional conflicts.
In October, the Gulf states withdrew their ambassadors, and Saudi Arabia banned all Lebanese exports, after a video surfaced of the then-Information Minister George Kordahi criticising the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman in a speech last week called on Lebanon to stop “the hegemony of terrorist Hezbollah over the Lebanese state”.
