Hariri: Hizbullah Direct Accomplice in Killing of Syrians, Nasrallah Sees 'Decisiveness Storm' as 'Personal Defeat'
Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri warned on Tuesday from attempts by Hizbullah to drag Lebanon to turmoil in Syria by mobilizing for the battle in al-Qalamoun, accusing it of becoming a direct accomplice in killing the Syrian people.
“Neither Hizbullah nor the Iranian Revolutionary Guards nor the barrel bomb attack... will be able to protect Bashar Assad from falling, as logic says that history will not have mercy on a person responsible for the death of thousands,” Hariri said in a statement issued by his press office.
He accused Hizbullah of being a “direct accomplice in the crime,” warning the party from involving the border towns in the Bekaa Valley in the battles in Syria.
Hariri called on the Lebanese to refuse and not to cover up for Hizbullah's attempt to drag Lebanon to Syria's al-Qalamoun gunbattle with gunmen.
The Sunni leader, whose party is involved in dialogue with Hizbullah since December, refused media reports portraying the battle in al-Qalamoun as a battle that concerns Lebanon on the pretext of “precautionary war against terror groups.”
“We are daily reading that Hizbullah is mobilizing and preparing for the battle and using Lebanon's border without any supervision to submerge further in the Syrian conflict to protect (President) Bashar Assad.”
Hariri expressed regret that “Hizbullah will not listen to the advice of its partners in the nation and will hit against a brick wall all warnings from dragging the war in Syria to Lebanon.”
“We will not back down on issuing warnings.”
The Mustaqbal leader wondered if the Qalamoun battle will be on Lebanese or Syrian territories and if the Lebanese authorities handed over the border to “illegal armed groups.”
He also warned of the repercussions of the Lebanese state's involvement in the border battle, in particular on the well-being of the abducted servicemen by the al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State group, voicing fear that Syrian opposition groups would tamper with Lebanon in retaliation.
“Lebanon is not concerned with the battle in al-Qalamoun and Hizbullah is solely responsible for the repercussions of the war, which only serves Assad.”
Fighters linked to ISIL and al-Nusra Front in the Syrian al-Qalamoun have been allegedly mobilizing and moving closer to the border with Lebanon ahead of a battle along the country's eastern border for a battle with Hizbullah accompanied by Assad forces.
The Lebanese army frequently clashes with the militants in their hideouts near the Syria border.
The IS, which controls several areas in Syria and Iraq, aims to spread to Lebanon as its fighters position in the outskirts of Bekaa towns bordering Syria and the Lebanese army is in adamant efforts to stop their efforts to infiltrate the country.
ISIL and al-Nusra Front are battling in Qalamoun the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Hizbullah forces alongside each other, with support from some smaller Islamist rebel groups.
Despite ideological similarities, the two groups are opposed and in conflict with each other in other parts of Syria, particularly in the north.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese army denied any attempt to engage in battles outside Lebanon's border.
Later on Tuesday, Hariri responded to remarks about Yemen by Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who delivered a televised speech in the evening.
"He approaches the Yemeni issue as if he's talking about Dahiyeh or Nabatiyeh and he's acting as if he's the real leader of the Huthi movement," Hariri said on Twitter, referring to Yemen's Huthi rebels.
"He is approaching operation Decisiveness Storm as if it is a personal defeat for him and for the Iranian scheme in Yemen," Hariri added.
In his speech, Nasrallah said Saudi Arabia failed to achieve its objectives from the Decisiveness Storm air campaign it had launched against the Huthis, accusing Riyadh of “killing children and women” and adopting a “futile policy.”
H.K./Y.R.
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