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Hezbollah says Saudi declares Lebanon war with Hariri detention

By Tom Perry, Ellen Francis and John Irish

 

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is seen on a video screen as he addresses his supporters in Beirut, Lebanon November 10, 2017. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

 

BEIRUT/PARIS (Reuters) - Hezbollah's leader said on Friday that Saudi Arabia had declared war on Lebanon and his Iran-backed group, accusing Riyadh of detaining Saad al-Hariri and forcing him to resign as Lebanon's prime minister to destabilise the country.

 

France became the first Western country to indicate that Saudi Arabia was holding Hariri against his will, saying it wished for him to have "all his freedom of movement and be fully able to play the essential role that is his in Lebanon".

 

Hariri's resignation has plunged Lebanon into crisis, thrusting the small Arab country back to the forefront of regional rivalry between the Sunni Muslim monarchy Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite revolutionary Iran.

 

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, said Saudi Arabia's detention of Hariri, a long-time Saudi ally who declared his resignation while in Riyadh last Saturday, was an insult to all Lebanese and he must return to Lebanon.

 

"Let us say things as they are: the man is detained in Saudi Arabia and forbidden until this moment from returning to Lebanon," Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

 

"It is clear that Saudi Arabia and Saudi officials have declared war on Lebanon and on Hezbollah in Lebanon," he said.

 

His comments mirror an accusation by Riyadh on Monday that Lebanon and Hezbollah had declared war on the conservative Gulf Arab kingdom.

 

Riyadh says Hariri is a free man and he decided to resign because Hezbollah was calling the shots in his government. Saudi Arabia considers Hezbollah to be its enemy in conflicts across the Middle East, including Syria and Yemen.

 

Western countries have looked on with alarm at the rising regional tension.

 

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned other countries and groups against using Lebanon as vehicle for a larger proxy fight in the Middle East, saying Washington strongly backed Lebanon's independence and respected Hariri as a strong partner of the United States, still referring to him as prime minister.

 

"There is no legitimate place or role in Lebanon for any foreign forces, militias or armed elements other than the legitimate security forces of the Lebanese state," Tillerson said in a statement released by the U.S. State Department.

 

Tillerson told reporters on Friday there was no indication that Hariri was being held in Saudi Arabia against his will but that the United States was monitoring the situation.

 

The French foreign minister said earlier on Friday that he also believed Hariri was a free man - a statement at odds with the later French foreign minstry comment that it wanted Hariri to have "all his freedom of movement".

 

Hariri has made no public remarks since announcing his resignation in a speech televised from Saudi Arabia, saying he feared assassination and accusing Iran and Hezbollah of sowing strife in the Arab world.

 

Two top Lebanese government officials, a senior politician close to Hariri and a fourth source told Reuters on Thursday that the Lebanese authorities believe Hariri is being held in Saudi Arabia.

 

Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia was encouraging Israel to attack Lebanon. While an Israeli attack could not be ruled out entirely, he said, it was unlikely partly because Israel knew it would pay a very high price. "I warn them against any miscalculation or any step to exploit the situation," he said.

 

"Saudi will fail in Lebanon as it has failed on all fronts," Nasrallah said.

 

Riyadh has advised Saudi citizens not to travel to Lebanon, or if already there to leave as soon as possible. Other Gulf states have also issued travel warnings. Those steps have raised concern that Riyadh could take measures against the tiny Arab state, which hosts 1.5 million Syrian refugees.

 

Hariri's resignation is being widely seen as part of a Saudi attempt to counter Iran as its influence deepens in Syria and Iraq and as Riyadh and its allies battle Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen.

 

Hariri's resignation unravelled a political deal among rival factions that made him prime minister and President Michel Aoun, a political ally of Hezbollah, head of state last year.

 

The coalition government included Hezbollah, a heavily armed military and political organisation.

 

STUCK BETWEEN "ANTAGONISTIC INTERESTS"

 

Aoun told Saudi Arabia's envoy on Friday that Hariri must return to Lebanon and the circumstances surrounding his resignation as prime minister while in Saudi Arabia were unacceptable, presidential sources said.

 

An "international support group" of countries concerned about Lebanon, which includes the United States, Russia and France, appealed for Lebanon "to continue to be shielded from tensions in the region". In a statement, they also welcomed Aoun's call for Hariri to return.

 

In comments to Reuters, top Lebanese Druze politician Jumblatt said Lebanon did not deserve to be accused of declaring war on Saudi Arabia. "For decades we've been friends," he said.

 

"We are a country that is squeezed between two antagonistic interests, between Saudi Arabia and Iran," he said. "The majority of Lebanese are just paying the price ... Lebanon can not afford to declare a war against anybody."

 

The Saudi foreign minister accused Hezbollah of a role in the launching of a ballistic missile at Riyadh from Yemen on Saturday. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said Iran's supply of rockets to militias in Yemen was an act of "direct military aggression" that could be an act of war.

 

Nasrallah mocked the Saudi accusation that Iran and Hezbollah were behind the firing of the missile from Yemen, saying Yemenis were capable of building their own missiles.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-11-11

 

 

[ilostmypassword]

Maybe I've been too harsh on Jared of Arabia. Maybe Hariri's detention is part of the Clown Prince's peace plan. By forcibly detaining Hariri, he has finally found a way to unite all the factions in Lebanon. Against himself but still...

As for Hariri, I'd bet that in a little while he'll be brought up on corruption charges to justify his detention.

Edited November 11, 2017 by ilostmypassword

[Morch]

1 hour ago, ilostmypassword said:

Maybe I've been too harsh on Jared of Arabia. Maybe Hariri's detention is part of the Clown Prince's peace plan. By forcibly detaining Hariri, he has finally found a way to unite all the factions in Lebanon. Against himself but still...

As for Hariri, I'd bet that in a little while he'll be brought up on corruption charges to justify his detention.

 

Since his resignation announcement, Hariri's flew to the UAE, had a public audience with Saudi King, and met with Western diplomats. There are at least a couple of comments cited above to the effect that he isn't held against his will.

 

Now, it could be that it's a sham and he's under arrest, but the OP is far from clear on that - so that you saying he is detained is not necessarily an accurate representation. Whether or not he is part of the "anti-corruption" thing remains to be seen.

 

As for unity in Lebanon, good luck with that.

[ilostmypassword]

4 hours ago, Morch said:

 

Since his resignation announcement, Hariri's flew to the UAE, had a public audience with Saudi King, and met with Western diplomats. There are at least a couple of comments cited above to the effect that he isn't held against his will.

 

Now, it could be that it's a sham and he's under arrest, but the OP is far from clear on that - so that you saying he is detained is not necessarily an accurate representation. Whether or not he is part of the "anti-corruption" thing remains to be seen.

 

As for unity in Lebanon, good luck with that.

Two of Lebanon's major political forces seem to be aligning in blaming Saudi Arabia for the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri last weekend.

Both Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, and now, somewhat surprisingly, Hariri's own Saudi-backed Future Party have alleged that the prime minister is not being allowed to return to Lebanon.

[dabhand]

Have seen no mention in any of the news articles that Hariri, like his father Rafic, is a dual national Lebanese / Saudi. Indeed he was born in Riyadh, where his father worked for some time in the 70s/80s and where he gained his start to huge wealth and influence via construction projects for Saudi royalty.

I worked for a time in Beirut during the 90's and the Hariri influence, as would be expected, was immense. His untimely death in 2005 had serious implications for not just the political state of the Lebanon but also for numerous projects that were seen to be under his direct personal influence.

That mention is being made of possible corruption connections to this story would be no surprise and his Saudi citizenship adds a further level to the ongoing intrigue.  

[ilostmypassword]

5 hours ago, dabhand said:

Have seen no mention in any of the news articles that Hariri, like his father Rafic, is a dual national Lebanese / Saudi. Indeed he was born in Riyadh, where his father worked for some time in the 70s/80s and where he gained his start to huge wealth and influence via construction projects for Saudi royalty.

I worked for a time in Beirut during the 90's and the Hariri influence, as would be expected, was immense. His untimely death in 2005 had serious implications for not just the political state of the Lebanon but also for numerous projects that were seen to be under his direct personal influence.

That mention is being made of possible corruption connections to this story would be no surprise and his Saudi citizenship adds a further level to the ongoing intrigue.  

I have seen it and even if i hadn't, do you think it's likely that a person who isn't a Lebanese citizen would be eligible for political office?

[craigt3365]

5 hours ago, dabhand said:

Have seen no mention in any of the news articles that Hariri, like his father Rafic, is a dual national Lebanese / Saudi. Indeed he was born in Riyadh, where his father worked for some time in the 70s/80s and where he gained his start to huge wealth and influence via construction projects for Saudi royalty.

I worked for a time in Beirut during the 90's and the Hariri influence, as would be expected, was immense. His untimely death in 2005 had serious implications for not just the political state of the Lebanon but also for numerous projects that were seen to be under his direct personal influence.

That mention is being made of possible corruption connections to this story would be no surprise and his Saudi citizenship adds a further level to the ongoing intrigue.  

Hariri holds dual citizenship.  It sure seems like he is being held under house arrest.  A few diplomats have spoken with him, but the details of those conversations are not being made public.

 

Time for Iran and Saudi Arabia to leave Lebanon alone.

 

Worth viewing.  Quite a good report.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/11/lebanese-pm-saad-hariri-saudi-arabia-171111192757086.html

 

Perhaps here's one thing that concerns Saudi Arabia.  If this is true, it will cause problems for sure. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41945189

Iran building permanent military base in Syria - claim

[Morch]

11 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

Two of Lebanon's major political forces seem to be aligning in blaming Saudi Arabia for the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri last weekend.

Both Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group, and now, somewhat surprisingly, Hariri's own Saudi-backed Future Party have alleged that the prime minister is not being allowed to return to Lebanon.

 

And to your "informed" mind that implies something resembling national unity?

[Morch]

8 hours ago, dabhand said:

Have seen no mention in any of the news articles that Hariri, like his father Rafic, is a dual national Lebanese / Saudi. Indeed he was born in Riyadh, where his father worked for some time in the 70s/80s and where he gained his start to huge wealth and influence via construction projects for Saudi royalty.

I worked for a time in Beirut during the 90's and the Hariri influence, as would be expected, was immense. His untimely death in 2005 had serious implications for not just the political state of the Lebanon but also for numerous projects that were seen to be under his direct personal influence.

That mention is being made of possible corruption connections to this story would be no surprise and his Saudi citizenship adds a further level to the ongoing intrigue.  

 

3 hours ago, ilostmypassword said:

I have seen it and even if i hadn't, do you think it's likely that a person who isn't a Lebanese citizen would be eligible for political office?

 

Hariri, like others of his family, has dual citizenship of both countries. This is no secret, and was mentioned in several reports, though I guess it's not prominent because it's rather trivial by now. Having an alternate citizenship seems to be a not uncommon safety measure with Lebanese politicians and businessmen.

 

As for his resignation being directly related to Saudi Arabia's "anti-corruption", possible but not probable. Whereas the rhetoric used in reference to Saudis arrested earlier highlighted corruption, statements related to Hariri were political. In practical terms, it may have been easier to go with the former, even as pretext. Taking the "political" approach, though, helps broadcast Saudi Arabia's position.

[craigt3365]

12 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

And to your "informed" mind that implies something resembling national unity?

Just watched a show where they interviewed people in Beirut.  It's 50/50 for support of Hezbollah. Far from a majority as ILMP wants us to believe.

[craigt3365]

4 minutes ago, Morch said:

 

 

Hariri, like others of his family, has dual citizenship of both countries. This is no secret, and was mentioned in several reports, though I guess it's not prominent because it's rather trivial by now. Having an alternate citizenship seems to be a not uncommon safety measure with Lebanese politicians and businessmen.

 

As for his resignation being directly related to Saudi Arabia's "anti-corruption", possible but not probable. Whereas the rhetoric used in reference to Saudis arrested earlier highlighted corruption, statements related to Hariri were political. In practical terms, it may have been easier to go with the former, even as pretext. Taking the "political" approach, though, helps broadcast Saudi Arabia's position.

France came out with a statement that Hariri was free to move about...then retracted it.  Definitely not a good sign.

[Morch]

3 hours ago, craigt3365 said:

Hariri holds dual citizenship.  It sure seems like he is being held under house arrest.  A few diplomats have spoken with him, but the details of those conversations are not being made public.

 

Time for Iran and Saudi Arabia to leave Lebanon alone.

 

Worth viewing.  Quite a good report.

http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2017/11/lebanese-pm-saad-hariri-saudi-arabia-171111192757086.html

 

Perhaps here's one thing that concerns Saudi Arabia.  If this is true, it will cause problems for sure. 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-41945189

Iran building permanent military base in Syria - claim

 

The first link is mostly talking heads saying nothing or repeating political agenda points. Got to love going on about Lebanon's "sovereignty" - as if having an armed to the teeth Hezbollah or a Harriri as a Saudi representative were non-issues.

 

The second link is more related to Israel's concerns. I don't think that Saudi Arabia is under illusions as to what it can gain within or with regard to Syria.

[Morch]

17 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Just watched a show where they interviewed people in Beirut.  It's 50/50 for support of Hezbollah. Far from a majority as ILMP wants us to believe.

 

Obviously, there's a general attitude not in favor with Saudi Arabia's meddling. That it represents "unity" misses the point, though. Each faction got it's own motivations for that, and to compound things, like every country, there are them domestic politics and rivalries not often making headlines on world news.

[Morch]

20 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

France came out with a statement that Hariri was free to move about...then retracted it.  Definitely not a good sign.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if he is detained against his will. Just saying it not 100% clear that he is. The whole thing being highly irregular, is obvious, and hence, suspicious. There are reports, citing Lebanese sources, supposedly detailing how things went down (NYT, Reuters and WaPO carry such stories). Whether or not these are correct and whatever Hariri's status is - the whole thing is more a symptom of the problems plaguing Lebanon, rather than a core issue by itself.

[Rancid]

That a head of State is being obviously detained is illegal in under numerous laws. It has been suggested though that he is allied (through bloodline) with an opposing Saudi faction, one of many the current ruler is dis-empowering. That would of course answer many questions...