Hariri Drops Bombshell, Announces Resignation from Govt over Iran's 'Influence'
Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Saturday, in an unforeseen move, announced his resignation from the Lebanese government, stressing that “Iran's hands in the region will be cut off.”
In a televised appearance from Saudi Arabia, Hariri said: “Wherever Iran is present it plants discord and destruction attested to by its interference in the Arab countries.”
Hariri added: “Iran is driven by deep hatred on the Arab nation. Unfortunately, it has found some of our sons who are putting their hands in its and trying to seize Lebanon from its Arab surroundings.
"In recent years, Hizbullah has used the power of its weapons to impose a fait accompli," he said, reading a speech from behind a desk.
“I would like to tell Iran and its followers that they have lost and their hands in the region will be cut off. I promised you that I will seek to unite the Lebanese, end the political division and establish the principle of self dissociation,” added the Premier.
Citing Iran's "grip" on the country and threats to his life, Hariri added: “There is a state of frustration, fragmentation and divisions. We are witnessing a climate similar to the atmosphere that was felt before the assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.”
"I felt what was being covertly plotted to target my life," Hariri said.
“I announce my resignation from the post of prime minister with my certainty that the will of the Lebanese is stronger and their will be able to overcome the tutelage from inside and outside,” he said in a speech broadcast from Saudi Arabia by the Al-Arabiya news network.
The two-time prime minister, whose father Rafik was assassinated when he held the same position in 2005, accused Iran and Hizbullah of seeking hegemony in the region.
The 47-year-old Sunni politician's resignation comes less than a year after his government, to which Hizbullah's political wing belongs, was formed.
"Iran has a grip on the fate of the region's countries... Hizbullah is Iran's arm not just in Lebanon but in other Arab countries too," he said.
"In recent years, Hizbullah has used the power of its weapons to impose a fait accompli," he said, reading a speech from behind a desk.
Hizbullah is a vital ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the war the Syrian regime is waging against the Islamic State group and armed opposition movements.
It enjoys broad support from Iran and is the only Lebanese party to have kept its weapons after the 1975-1990 civil war.
Its arsenal has since grown exponentially and now outstrips that of the nation's own armed forces.
It claims it is the only credible rampart against neighboring Israel and its refusal to disarm is the main political crux in Lebanon.
Hizbullah members have been accused over the 2005 assassination in a massive car bomb blast of Rafik Hariri, the dominant figure of Lebanon's post-war political landscape.
Riyadh is Iran's main regional rival and the two powers' tussle for influence has played out in ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Source: Naharnet, Agence France Presse
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