Nasrallah Denies Sending Arms to Yemen, Kuwait, Involvement in Riyadh Missile

Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah denied on Monday that his group had ever sent weapons to a host of conflict-ridden countries, including Yemen, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

"I want to formally deny it: we did not send weapons to Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, or Iraq," Nasrallah said in a televised address.

"We haven't sent weapons to any Arab country -- no ballistic missiles, advanced weapons, not even a pistol," he said

“We only sent Kornet missiles to the Gaza Strip while in Syria we're fighting with our weapons,” Nasrallah added.

Hizbullah's chief also denied his group was involved in the firing of a missile from Yemen into Saudi Arabia earlier this month.

"No one from Lebanon's Hizbullah has anything to do with the launch of this missile," Nasrallah said.

"I categorically deny this accusation, which is not based on truth or evidence," he added.

Addressing Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Nasrallah said “the most important factor for Lebanon's security is the Resistance and Hizbullah's arms. If you want security for Lebanon, do not interfere in its affairs and do not incite Israel to strike it.”

Nasrallah was responding to an Arab League statement issued Sunday, which labeled Hizbullah as a “terrorist” group and accused it of interfering in several Arab countries.

The statement accused Hizbullah of “training terrorist groups” in Bahrain, “supporting terrorist groups” in Saudi Arabia, and “supporting terror and terrorist groups in Arab countries with advanced weapons and ballistic missiles.”

Nasrallah slammed the statement as “ridiculous and absurd” on Monday.

“The Arab League statement was expected... While Hizbullah was liberating (Syria's) al-Bukamal from Daesh (Islamic State group), which is labeled as terrorist by the entire world, these people were calling Hizbullah terrorist,” he said.

“What have you contributed to the victory against Daesh?” Nasrallah added, addressing the Arab foreign ministers who met in Cairo on Sunday.

“All the forces that thwarted the U.S. scheme in the region by fighting Daesh will be put on terror blacklists,” Nasrallah lamented.

He added: “Ask Saudi Arabia to stop the crushing of children's bones and its massacres (in Yemen). Press for a political solution and this scary and suspicious silence in the Islamic world is unacceptable.”

Nasrallah also accused the United States of offering support and assistance to the IS group in eastern Syria, describing the capture of al-Bukamal as a “major military achievement.”

Moreover, Nasrallah said he was prepared to pull Hizbullah's military advisers from Iraq, after the IS group lost control over its last urban stronghold in the country.

Nasrallah acknowledged that his group had deployed "large numbers of our commanders and cadres" to Iraq to fight IS.

"We consider that the mission has been accomplished, but we are waiting for the final, Iraqi announcement of victory," he said.

Once that official declaration came, Hizbullah would reassess its presence in Iraq and may pull its members out, Nasrallah added.

"If we find that it's over, that there is no need for the presence of these brothers, they will return to be deployed in any other arena that needs them," Nasrallah said.

Hizbullah mostly deployed experienced commanders as advisers and trainers to work alongside the Hashed al-Shaabi, a paramilitary umbrella dominated by local Shiite militia groups also loyal to Tehran.

Iraqi forces on November 17 announced they had retaken Rawa, the last town to have been held by the Islamic State group in Iraq, capping three years of anti-jihadist military operations.

The latest efforts against IS have been spearheaded by Iraqi special forces and other regular troops but the Hashed, which counts tens of thousands of fighters, has been a key component of the bruising campaign.

While IS no longer controls any urban hub in Iraq, its surviving fighters have regrouped in remote desert areas along the border with Syria and mopping up operations remain to be completed.

Turning to the developments in Lebanon, Nasrallah said Hizbullah is “awaiting the return” Prime Minister Saad Hariri, noting that the latter is still Lebanon's premier despite his resignation announcement from Saudi Arabia.

“We're open to any dialogue and discussion in the country,” Nasrallah emphasized.

Lebanon has been gripped in a political crisis since Hariri announced his surprise resignation earlier this month from Riyadh, lambasting Iran and Hizbullah for their policies in Lebanon and the region.

The shock announcement sparked worries that Lebanon would be caught up in the spiraling tensions between Riyadh and Tehran, which back opposing political and armed groups across the region.

After resigning, Hariri spent two more weeks in Saudi Arabia amid rumors he was under de facto house arrest there, before traveling to Paris on Saturday. There, he met French President Emmanuel Macron and pledged he would be in Lebanon in time to mark its independence day on Wednesday.