Jubeir: No peace in Lebanon unless Hezbollah disarms
ROME: Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Friday that Lebanon had been ‘hijacked’ by Hezbollah and could only flourish if the Iranian-backed group disarmed.
The Shi’ite Muslim militia was set up by the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in the 1980s and has grown steadily in influence, sharing power in the Beirut government and giving crucial support to President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war. Its growing strength has alarmed Saudi Arabia, a Sunni Muslim monarchy that is Shi’ite Iran’s arch-rival for regional influence.
“Lebanon will only survive or prosper if you disarm Hezbollah,” Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a conference in Italy.
“As long as you have an armed militia, you will not have peace in Lebanon.”
Jubeir said the situation in Lebanon was ‘tragic’ and accused Iran of fomenting unrest across the Middle East.
“Since 1979, the Iranians have literally got away with murder in our region, and this has to stop,” he said.
A month ago, Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanese prime minister while he was in Saudi Arabia, triggering a political crisis in Beirut and thrusting Lebanon onto the front line of the regional rivalry.
Saudi Arabia denied coercing its long-time ally to quit, and Hariri has now returned to Beirut and indicated that he might withdraw his resignation.
Elsewhere in the region, Saudi Arabia fears that Hezbollah and Iran are trying to take control of its neighbour Yemen, by supporting Houthi forces against a Riyadh-led military coalition.
Hezbollah denies fighting in Yemen, sending weapons to the Houthis, or firing rockets at Saudi Arabia from Yemeni territory. — Reuters