Sayyed Safieddine: Lebanese Crisis Rooted In MBS’ Fear of Yemen’s Marib Liberation

By Staff, Agencies

The Head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, His Eminence Sayyed Hashem Safieddine said the diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia is rooted in Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman [MBS]’s “fear” of the liberation of the Yemeni strategic city of Marib as Beirut supports Yemenis fighting the Saudi war.

Sayyed Safieddine noted in a statement that it is not “reasonable” to think that the diplomatic crisis is related to remarks made by the Lebanese information minister “it is rather greater than that.”

“What is happening in Saudi Arabia is a major thing, as the Saudis and the Gulf [countries] in general, who have followed the path of forming relations with ‘Israel’, cannot bear a voice from Lebanon and others who will criticize them in the future over the Saudi-‘Israeli’ relations, which will be made public in the coming days,” he added.

The senior Hezbollah official further underlined that the Saudi Crown Prince lives in a state of “dilemma and anxiety” and will have to face an excessive situation after the fall of Marib, emphasizing that MBS is fearful of losing all his illusions.

Sayyed Safieddine warned that all those who work to interrupt the Lebanese government, undermine the country’s stability, and mount US and Saudi sanctions to destroy Lebanon, highlighting Hezbollah’s sacrifices “in order not to lead our country to internal clashes, and for this, we [have striven to] resolve the economic and internal problems of the Lebanese people.”

His Eminence emphasized that those who are pushing to fabricate security, diplomatic and political crises in Lebanon are the ones that are working to sabotage the country.

He said that the future of Lebanon is not in the hands of the Saudis “but in the hands of God and thanks to those who sacrificed for the dignity of the country.”

Saudi Arabia will not tolerate any criticism in the future, especially after its relations with the ‘Israeli’ regime will be public in the coming days, the Hezbollah official added.

The Saudi-Lebanon row began after current Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi said during a television program that was recorded before Kordahi became minister, but was aired last Monday, that the 2015-present Saudi Arabia-led war on Yemen was an act of aggression by Riyadh and the United Arab Emirates [UAE], the kingdom’s most significant ally in the military campaign.

Kordahi called the war “absurd,” saying it had to stop because he was opposed to wars between Arabs. The minister also said the Yemeni army forces and their allied fighters from the Popular Committees were “defending themselves ... against an external aggression.”

The Saudi kingdom subsequently recalled its ambassador from Beirut and expelled the Lebanese envoy from the Saudi capital.