Lebanon PM Hariri quits, attacks Iran for meddling

Riyadh : Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri resigned yesterday, saying he believed there was an assassination plot against him and accusing Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world.

In a televised address from Riyadh, Hariri came down heavily on Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah group for their meddling in Arab affairs and said “Iran’s arms in the region will be cut off.”

“Iran has a strong desire to destroy the Arab world,” Said Hariri who is on a visit to Saudi Arabia.

“The evil that Iran sends to the region will eventually backfire on Tehran,” Hariri said, accusing Tehran of spreading chaos, strife and destruction throughout the region. 

Hariri said: “Iran controls the region and the decision-making in both Syria and Iraq.”

He said his rejection of the use of Hezbollah’s weapons against the Lebanese and Syrians, pointing out that “the intervention of Hezbollah caused us problems with our Arab neighbourhood.”  Hariri said he feared for his life.

Hariri said he feared for his life and said the climate in the country is similar to the one that existed before his father, the late prime minister Rafik Hariri, was assassinated in 2005.

Hariri said that he is aware that there are assassination plots against his life saying: “I sensed that there are people who secretly want me dead.”

Hariri was appointed prime minister in late 2016 and headed a 30-member national unity cabinet that included the Shiite militant Hezbollah. The government has largely succeeded in protecting the country from the effects of the civil war in neighbouring Syria.

His election was made possible after Hariri endorsed him for president, based on an understanding that Aoun would then appoint him as prime minister.

In a statement, the presidential office said Aoun was informed by Hariri in a phone call of his resignation, adding that the president now awaits Hariri’s return to the country to clarify the circumstances of his resignation and proceed accordingly.

Hariri’s bombshell resignation yesterday was expected to raise tensions in the country and ushers in a stage of deep uncertainty and potential instability.

Several Hezbollah members are being tried in absentia for the killing by a U.N.-backed tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands. Hezbollah denies any involvement.

Hezbollah has sent thousands of its fighters to Syria to shore up President Bashar Assad’s government. The group’s intervention in Syria is highly controversial in Lebanon.

Hariri said Hezbollah’s policies have put Lebanon “in the eye of the storm.” His attacks on Hezbollah come on the heels of new U.S. sanctions on the group that many fear will impact negatively on the Lebanese economy.

“Hezbollah was able in past decades to impose a reality in Lebanon by force of arms directed at the chests of Syrians and Lebanese,” he said.

“I declare my resignation from the premiership of the Lebanese government, with the certainty that the will of the Lebanese is strong,” Hariri said.

“When I took office, I promised you that I would seek to unite the Lebanese, end political division and establish the principle of self-sufficiency, but I have been unable to do so. Despite my efforts, Iran continues to abuse Lebanon,” he said.

Earlier this week, Saudi State Minister for Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan sharply criticized Hezbollah, calling for its “toppling” and promising “astonishing developments” in the coming days during an interview with the Lebanese TV station MTV.

Al-Sabhan met with Hariri in Saudi Arabia when the now resigned prime minister was visiting earlier this week. Hariri abruptly returned to the kingdom later Friday before his bombshell announcement yesterday.

In tweets after meeting Hariri, al-Sabhan described it as “long and fruitful meeting” that resulted in agreements over many issues that concern the Lebanese. “What’s coming is better, God willing,” al-Sabhan tweeted on Tuesday. In a series of tweets, al-Sabhan criticized the Lebanese government for tolerating Hezbollah’s criticism of the kingdom.

He earlier said that those who cooperate with Hezbollah must be “punished.”