Saudi Arabia Seeks Sectarian Strife in Middle-East: Nasrallah

Nasrallah Tuesday sought to dispel fears of sectarian violence following tensions with Saudi Arabia.

“We are very much keen on stability, security and national peace in Lebanon,” Nasrallah said in a televised speech broadcast by Al-Manar, the Daily Star reported. 

“There is no security problem and Lebanon is not teetering on the brink of a civil war.”

He rejected accusations by his opponents in the March 14 coalition that Hezbollah, which has been targeted by the latest Saudi measures, was planning to destabilize Lebanon.

“We are not planning for a new May 7,” Nasrallah said, referring to Hezbollah’s brief takeover of west Beirut on May 7, 2008, at the peak of a fierce power struggle between the March 8 and March 14 coalitions.

“We don’t want to overturn the table against anyone,” he said. “There is nothing to worry about.”

Nasrallah rejected charges that Riyadh’s decision to halt $4 billion in military aid was motivated by positions taken by Hezbollah or Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, a party ally.

“We have information that shows us the decision to halt the aid was made after the death of Saudi King Abdullah more than one year ago,” Nasrallah said.

Hezbollah and Bassil, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, were merely scapegoats in Riyadh’s strategy to silence dissenters, he added.

“Saudi Arabia is angry with Hezbollah since it dares to say what only a few others dare to say against its royal family,” Nasrallah said.

He said if Saudi Arabia had a problem with Hezbollah, it should take it up with the party itself and not target Lebanon, its people, Army and Hezbollah’s allies.

He said Riyadh has been trying to pick a fight with Hezbollah since 2005, but that the party would not give in. It wasn’t until Saudi Arabia launched its war in Yemen that Hezbollah could no longer remain silent, he added.

“I am now 57, and I say this with all honesty ... the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life was speak out on the second day of the Saudi war in Yemen, as I am doing now,” he said.

He also held Saudi Arabia directly responsible for some of the car bombs that have targeted Lebanon, Syria and Iraq since 2003.

“Some in March 14 hope for a Decisive Storm in Lebanon, as if the Decisive Storm on Yemen has even reached its goals,” Nasrallah said, in reference to the name given to the Saudi-led campaign against Houthis in the country.

He said Israel and Saudi Arabia were working to cause strife between Sunnis and Shiites wherever they were in the world. Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shiite Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in January aimed to ignite intra-Muslim conflict, he added.

Regarding the street protests Lebanon witnessed over the weekend denouncing a skit mocking Nasrallah, the Hezbollah chief urged his supporters not to block roads or take to the streets unless the party issues an official call.

The skit, aired on a Saudi-owned TV station, was an attempt to ignite sectarian strife in Lebanon, Nasrallah said.

“Who are we affecting when we cut off roads? We are affecting our own people and causing inconvenience in their neighborhoods, and I ask you to act in a civilized manner next time you hear or see something,” he said.

The acts carried out by young men were merely spontaneous, he said, and further raised fears of a possible outbreak of Sunni-Shiite violence. “These acts benefit our enemies and rivals,” he added.

He expressed his support for the continuation of dialogue between his party and its rival, the Future Movement, saying the talks benefited the country. “We do not wish to leave, but others are free to do so,” he said.