DAMASCUS (AFP) Oct 14– Syrian President Bachar Assad slammed Lebanese who he said had chosen to side with Israel  and submit themselves to foreigners instead of taking the Arab path and that of resistance.

In an interview published on Thursday, Assad said of the neighbouring nation where it was powerbroker for nearly three decades: "It is impossible to build a relationship with some parties who in Lebanon … are close to Israel, submit themselves to foreign countries and do not believe in Lebanon."

He told the Tunisian daily al-Shuruk, in an interview reprinted in official Syrian media: "Most of the forces who hold power in Lebanon have adopted this position which rebounds on Syrian-Lebanese relations."

Assad said "there have always been in Lebanon forces attached to the Arab (identity). But there are also forces which, since Lebanon’s creation and even before, have tied their fate to the West, thus putting (their country) in danger."

"These forces link Lebanon’s fate to that of regional conflicts, which signifies that Lebanon will not know stability in the near future."

Referring to the agreement which ended Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, the Syrian leader said: "Lebanon knew stability after the Taef accord when it chose the Arab path and resistance against Israel. The day it went back on this choice it again experienced instability."