Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The leader of Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said on Sunday that
Saudi Arabia had forced Lebanon's Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri to resign, and called for calm and patience in Lebanon.
Hariri, a political ally of Saudi Arabia resigned on Saturday in an unexpected declaration from the kingdom,
citing a plot to assassinate him and slamming Hezbollah and its Iranian backers for sowing strife in the Arab world.The resignation of the prime minister, a Sunni Muslim, toppled a coalition government that included Hezbollah.
"The resignation was a Saudi decision dictated to prime minister Saad al-Hariri and forced on him," Nasrallah said in a televised broadcast, adding that there was no domestic reason for Hariri's decision.
Nasrallah urged Lebanese not to hold protests in response to the resignation, saying "this will not lead to any result".
"We urge against political escalation," he said.
Nasrallah also said "legitimate questions" were being raised in Lebanon over whether Hariri was being detained in Saudi Arabia. Hariri allies in Lebanon have denied suggestions that he had been detained.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has tightened his grip on power through an anti-corruption purge by arresting royals, ministers and investors including billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal, one of the kingdom's most prominent businessmen.
Reporting by Tom Perry, Laila Bassam and Angus McDowall; Editing by Edmund Blair
Comment: More than being forced, it sounds like Hariri has made a pact with the devil. Adam Garrie
writes:
Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has delivered a rage filled resignation address from the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Hariri, who is a duel Lebanese-Saudi citizen, leads the Lebanese party Future Movement which forms part of the March 14 Allience in the Lebanese parliament. The future movement attracts few Shi'a and Christian voters and has been openly critical of Hezbollah's assistance to Syria in its war against al-Qaeda, FSA and ISIS.
During his resignation speech, he blasted Iran and Hezbollah in a manner that is highly reminiscent of Israeli propaganda. In a phrase echoing remarks made by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Hariri said that "Iran's hand in the region would be cut off", although Hariri, like Netanyahu, failed to explain how Iran has a 'hand in the region' in a way that violates any norms of international law. Hariri then stated that he feared for his life, should he remain in office, while providing no evidence of credible threats to his safety.
The timing of the surprise resignation is in many ways, more significant than the content of the resignation speech.
The speech came shortly after Hariri met with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and only hours after the CIA published suspicious documents which perversely try to link Iran with al-Qaeda.
The fact of the matter is, as everyone except the CIA seems to know, that al-Qaeda is a declared enemy of Iran and Iran is a declared enemy of al-Qaeda, both in terms of geo-strategic interests as well as ideology.
Comment: More than being forced, it sounds like Hariri has made a pact with the devil. Adam Garrie writes: