Hezbollah Urges ‘Patience and Calm’ Amid Lebanon’s Political Crisis
- 7 years ago
Hezbollah Urges ‘Patience and Calm’ Amid Lebanon’s Political Crisis
He also pointed out the irony of his making them from Saudi Arabia, and said, "We, Hezbollah, did not wish for this."
But he urged people not to engage in street protests or "sectarian tensions," and "not to fear and worry," adding, "Civil peace in Lebanon is the most precious." Mr. Nasrallah said he expected Mr. Hariri to return to Lebanon on Thursday — "if he is allowed to come back" — and talk with President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, who has yet to accept the resignation.
5, 2017
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called on Sunday for "patience
and calm" in Lebanon, seeking to reassure a country thrown into uncertainty a day after the surprise resignation of the prime minister, Saad Hariri.
Sami Nader, an economist at St. Joseph University in Beirut, said Mr. Nasrallah appeared to be "trying to de-escalate the situation
and contain it" because the resignation, which leaves Hezbollah without a Sunni governing partner, could strip it of "legal and political cover." It could also make the Lebanese government more vulnerable to sanctions against the group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Lebanon has long been a flash point for regional tensions, and there are fears
that if it becomes the latest stage for the escalating rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran — as war-torn Syria has been in recent years — the tiny Mediterranean country could face economic collapse or even violence.
On Sunday, Bahrain urged its citizens to leave Lebanon for their safety,
and the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, issued a statement expressing concern about Mr. Hariri’s resignation and calling on all sides to safeguard Lebanon’s state institutions and its "security and stability." Mr. Nasrallah called the resignation "very destabilizing" and rejected Mr. Hariri’s accusations of Iranian interference in Lebanon.
Mr. Hariri, perhaps seeking to dispel rumors he was under arrest in Saudi Arabia, posted on Twitter
for the first time since his resignation speech, posing with the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon.
He also pointed out the irony of his making them from Saudi Arabia, and said, "We, Hezbollah, did not wish for this."
But he urged people not to engage in street protests or "sectarian tensions," and "not to fear and worry," adding, "Civil peace in Lebanon is the most precious." Mr. Nasrallah said he expected Mr. Hariri to return to Lebanon on Thursday — "if he is allowed to come back" — and talk with President Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, who has yet to accept the resignation.
5, 2017
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, called on Sunday for "patience
and calm" in Lebanon, seeking to reassure a country thrown into uncertainty a day after the surprise resignation of the prime minister, Saad Hariri.
Sami Nader, an economist at St. Joseph University in Beirut, said Mr. Nasrallah appeared to be "trying to de-escalate the situation
and contain it" because the resignation, which leaves Hezbollah without a Sunni governing partner, could strip it of "legal and political cover." It could also make the Lebanese government more vulnerable to sanctions against the group, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States.
Lebanon has long been a flash point for regional tensions, and there are fears
that if it becomes the latest stage for the escalating rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran — as war-torn Syria has been in recent years — the tiny Mediterranean country could face economic collapse or even violence.
On Sunday, Bahrain urged its citizens to leave Lebanon for their safety,
and the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, issued a statement expressing concern about Mr. Hariri’s resignation and calling on all sides to safeguard Lebanon’s state institutions and its "security and stability." Mr. Nasrallah called the resignation "very destabilizing" and rejected Mr. Hariri’s accusations of Iranian interference in Lebanon.
Mr. Hariri, perhaps seeking to dispel rumors he was under arrest in Saudi Arabia, posted on Twitter
for the first time since his resignation speech, posing with the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon.