Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem Urges Saudi Arabia To Restore Ties And Unite With Resistance Against Israel
Beirut: Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem has appealed to Saudi Arabia to restore relations with the Lebanese armed group and build a joint front against Israel, Al Jazeera reported. The appeal came on Friday as Israel intensified its strikes on southern Lebanon.
Qassem called on Riyadh to open a “new page” with Hezbollah, built on three principles: dialogue to resolve disputes and address concerns; recognition that Israel – and not “the resistance” – is the enemy; and “freezing of past disagreements”. He stressed that Hezbollah’s arms were directed only at Israel. “Not Lebanon, not Saudi Arabia, and not any other place or party in the world,” he said.
Qassem warned that pressure on Hezbollah would only aid Israel. He said that if the resistance was eliminated, “the turn will come for the other states,” Al Jazeera reported.
Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah have endured for years, rooted in the broader rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran, Hezbollah’s main backer. In 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), led by Saudi Arabia, designated Hezbollah a “terrorist” group over its support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria and its backing of Yemen’s Houthis.
Qassem described Israel as a colonial entity “backed first by Britain and now by the United States,” and accused it of committing atrocities. He said Israel had reached “the height of barbarity,” carrying out crimes with US support “in disregard of international law.”
You may also like
Leave a Reply