Khazen

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah

This article represents only the opinion of the author

BEIRUT, May 25 (Xinhua) — Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah launched a verbal attack Thursday on Saudi Arabia and the Riyadh summit, accusing it of being behind all the terrorist activities that are targeting the countries of the region and the world. In a televised speech to mark the “Resistance and Liberation Day,” Nasrallah said “the Riyadh summit was focused on deviating the accusation of supporting terrorism from Saudi Arabia and pinning it on Iran.” Lebanon celebrates on May 25 the “Liberation and Resistance Day” that marks the Israeli withdrawal from south Lebanon on May 25, 2000 after almost 18 years of occupation. “Saudi Arabia is behind the takfiri thinking and the takfiri groups and the entire world knows this. That’s why the Saudi regime sought to offer a bribe to U.S. President Donald Trump,” Nasrallah added, referring to huge deals worth some 380 billion U.S. dollars that were signed between Riyadh and Washington during the U.S. president’s visit.

However, Nasrallah hailed President Michel Aoun, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, the Lebanese government and al-Mustaqbal Movement over their stances that sought to dissociate Lebanon from the resolutions and statements of the Arab Islamic American Summit in Riyadh. “The stances of Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and President Michel Aoun on the Riyadh summit were courageous and responsible and will contribute to immunizing the country,” he said. “Even the government and al-Mustaqbal Movement have said that the Riyadh declaration is not binding for Lebanon,” Nasrallah noted. He also reassured the Lebanese that “all the stances that were said and issued at the Riyadh summit will not have any impact on the Lebanese domestic situation.” Turning to the situation on the eastern border and in the outskirts of the border town of Arsal, Nasrallah reiterated that “the militants have been completely kicked out of the Eastern Mountain Range.” “The remaining phase is Arsal’s outskirts. I reiterate that Arsal’s residents and the government must exert efforts to put an end to this situation and we are keen on preventing bloodshed,” Nasrallah added. “The current situation cannot continue, seeing as the outskirts contain armed groups and would-be suicide bombers who are threatening the region and its neighbors and I tell the armed groups in the outskirts that they have reached a dead end,” he concluded.