Hezbollah Official Calls Israel Root Cause of All Regional Problems
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Lebanese Hezbollah Resistance Movement’s second-in-command, Sheikh Naim Qassem, warned of Israel’s expansionist policies in the Middle East and said the Zionist regime is behind all problems facing the region.
“Israel is a threat not just to Palestinians and the occupied territories but it is a real danger for the region and various countries,” Arabic-language Elnashra News quoted Sheikh Qassem as saying on Saturday.
The Hezbollah official added that Israel is trying to sow discord and create conflicts in regional countries to establish its dominance over the region because political dominance would preclude the need for costly military dominance.
Sheikh Qassem further pointed to a recent decision by the US administration to recognize al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of the Israeli regime and stressed that Quds belongs to Islamic and Arab countries.
The cleric also called on Muslim countries to consider the Palestinian issue as a priority, saying that the issue should not fade into oblivion.
Trump officially declared the disputed city Israel's capital, despite warnings from around the world that the measure risks triggering a fresh wave of violence in the Middle East.
In a speech at the White House on December 6, Trump said his administration would also begin a years-long process of moving the American embassy in Tel Aviv to the holy city.
The announcement was a major shift by Washington that overturns decades of US foreign policy.
Palestinian leaders had previously warned the move would threaten a two-state solution.
Israel has occupied East Quds since the 1967 Middle East war. It annexed the area in 1980 and sees it as its exclusive domain. Under international law, the area is considered to be occupied territory.