lebanons hezbollah accuses saudi of detaining hariri
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today
Arab Today, arab today
Last Updated : GMT 06:49:16
Arab Today, arab today

Lebanon's Hezbollah accuses Saudi of detaining Hariri

Arab Today, arab today

Arab Today, arab today Lebanon's Hezbollah accuses Saudi of detaining Hariri

Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah
Beirut - Arab Today

Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday accused Saudi Arabia of detaining prime minister Saad Hariri and of asking the Shiite movement's arch-foe Israel to launch strikes.

Hariri's sudden resignation on November 4 in a statement made from Riyadh took the Lebanese political class by surprise and has sparked international concern.

The United States warned against using the tiny country as a "venue for proxy conflicts" and the United Nations said it was "essential no new conflict erupt in the region".

France called for Hariri to have "all his freedom of movement" amid rumours he was being held against his will.

"The head of the Lebanese government is detained in Saudi Arabia, he is banned from returning to Lebanon until now," Nasrallah said in a televised address.

Hariri's situation was not completely clear but calls, including from his Lebanese political rivals, mounted for Saudi Arabia to guarantee the premier's freedom of movement.

The 47-year-old announced his resignation on November 4 in a surprise move that coincided with a sweeping purge of the Saudi kingdom's elite, ostensibly over embezzlement accusations.

Hariri, who also holds Saudi nationality, did not say when he would return to Lebanon, where President Michel Aoun has yet to formally accept his resignation.

In a statement issued on Friday after a meeting with a senior Saudi diplomat, Aoun insisted Hariri should return to Lebanon.

- US support -

"President Aoun met Saudi charge d'affaires Walid Bukhari and informed him that the circumstances in which Mr. Hariri's resignation took place were unacceptable," the statement said.

The president "called for the return to Lebanon of the head of the government".

Aoun, whose political ally Hezbollah is a fierce critic of Riyadh, "voiced his concern over what is being said" about Hariri's current status in Saudi Arabia and demanded a "clarification".

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday described Hariri as "a strong partner" and warned against "any party, within or outside Lebanon, using Lebanon as a venue for proxy conflicts or in any manner contributing to instability in that country".

"The United States strongly supports the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Lebanon and of its political institutions" and opposes "any actions that could threaten that stability," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country has close ties with both Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, made a surprise visit to Riyadh late Thursday after a trip to the United Arab Emirates.

On Friday, a spokesman for France's foreign ministry said: "We wish Mr. Saad Hariri to have all his freedom of movement and to be fully able to play the essential role that is his in Lebanon."

Earlier French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on French radio he thought Hariri was "free to move around", despite most of the Lebanese political class implying he was de facto under house arrest.

"He went to Abu Dhabi the day before President Macron's visit (on Wednesday) so we think he's free to move around," Le Drian said.

- Conflict warnings -

Nasrallah, whose party is the only organisation that did not disarm after the 1975-1990 civil war and now has an arsenal that outstrips Lebanon's own armed forces, accused Saudi Arabia of seeking to incite conflict.

"The most dangerous thing is inciting Israel to strike Lebanon," he said. "I'm talking about information that Saudi Arabia has asked Israel to strike Lebanon."

Nasrallah, whose movement Hariri has repeatedly said should lay down its arms, also warned that his movement, which fought a devastating war with Israel in 2006, was stronger than ever.

"We are stronger today, we warn them again misguided calculations, against any knee-jerk initiative," he said, adding however that his party saw any Israeli attack as being unlikely at this stage.

The UN chief, Antonio Guterres, also said: "It is essential that no new conflict erupt in the region."

"We are indeed very worried and we hope that we won't see an escalation in the region that would have tragic consequences," he said.

Lebanon's interior ministry said in a statement Friday that a Saudi national had been kidnapped in Lebanon in circumstances that remained unclear.

Saudi Arabia had urged all its citizens in Lebanon this week to leave the country but Interior Minister Nohad Machnouk told AFP that the kidnapping was "in no way related" to the Hariri crisis or politics.

Source: AFP

arabstoday
arabstoday

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

lebanons hezbollah accuses saudi of detaining hariri lebanons hezbollah accuses saudi of detaining hariri

 



Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

lebanons hezbollah accuses saudi of detaining hariri lebanons hezbollah accuses saudi of detaining hariri

 



GMT 13:26 2017 Thursday ,30 March

More whistle-blowers are talking to WADA

GMT 02:06 2017 Saturday ,24 June

March21st-April20th

GMT 18:42 2017 Tuesday ,11 April

Muscat Securities Market Loses 29 Points

GMT 12:00 2017 Thursday ,02 February

Uber suspends operation in Taiwan

GMT 07:52 2017 Monday ,27 February

Curtain Design Ideas

GMT 13:14 2018 Sunday ,07 October

Has secularism found a niche in Iran’s Qom?

GMT 08:19 2016 Thursday ,26 May

Tickets go on sale for Olympic tennis, handball

GMT 22:07 2017 Sunday ,20 August

Health Minister visits health centres in Muharraq

GMT 13:24 2016 Saturday ,23 July

Rio's homeless raise voices ahead of Olympics

GMT 20:25 2017 Tuesday ,01 August

Paris celebrates 2024 Olympics win

GMT 04:32 2017 Tuesday ,17 October

Glencore, Qatar finalise Rosneft deal

GMT 10:02 2017 Friday ,06 January

Brazilian gov't announces national security plan

GMT 04:14 2016 Friday ,14 October

Iraq, Egypt discuss irrigation cooperation

GMT 16:39 2016 Saturday ,03 December

Cyprus leaders agree to resume peace talks

GMT 23:42 2017 Monday ,23 October

Saqr Ghobash attends Belarus Embassy reception
Arab Today, arab today
 
 Arab Today Facebook,arab today facebook  Arab Today Twitter,arab today twitter Arab Today Rss,arab today rss  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube  Arab Today Youtube,arab today youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©

arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday arabstoday arabstoday
arabstoday
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
arabstoday, Arabstoday, Arabstoday