This ‘constitutes a flagrant violation of Lebanese laws,’ says Hariri
BEIRUT: Lebanese are reacting with shock to a video on social media of the leader of an Iranbacked Iraqi militia saying from southern Lebanon: “We are here with Hezbollah to declare our total readiness to stand together with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause against Israeli occupation.”
Qais Khazali, commander of Asa’ib Ahl Al-Haq, is seen in the video accompanied by Hezbollah members, touring villages along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said this “constitutes a flagrant violation of Lebanese laws.”
He added that he has contacted military and security officials “to investigate the incident and take measures to prevent any person from carrying out military activities on Lebanese territory... and to prevent the person in the video from entering Lebanon.”
The Lebanese government declared on Dec. 5 “the commitment of all its components to the policy of dissociation from any disputes, conflicts or wars, and from the internal affairs of Arab countries, in order to preserve relations between Lebanon and its Arab brothers.”
The International Support Group for Lebanon has called “upon all Lebanese parties to implement this tangible policy of dissociation from regional conflicts and respect relevant UN resolutions.”
Mustapha Allouch, a leading member of Hariri’s Future Movement, told Arab News: “What happened (in the video) means Hezbollah can’t keep its commitments.”
Allouch said Khazali’s visit “could have been kept secret had Hezbollah wanted to commit to the dissociation policy. What happened is a message to Lebanese society that Hezbollah is part of the Iranian system.”
Sources close to Hezbollah said Khazali was in Syria, but he himself said he was “in front of Fatima Gate,” which is on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
A security source said the entry of any foreigner to the area south of the Litani line requires a permit from the Lebanese Army.
“This area is subject to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, where UNIFIL (the UN Interim Force in Lebanon) is deployed,” the source told Arab News.
Former Lebanese Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi tweeted: “The tour of Khazali on the border, sponsored by Hezbollah, is a message of defiance and a blow to the sovereignty of Lebanon and international resolutions, and it blasts the policy of dissociation… and confirms that the real authority is in the hands of Hezbollah and its Iranian project.”