Iran: Hizbullah Played Key Role in Eradicating Terror in Syria, Protecting Lebanon

A top Iranian security official on Wednesday hailed Hizbullah for its military role in Syria, saying the Tehran-backed party's intervention in the neighboring country has helped preserve Lebanon's security.

“Hizbullah has played a key role in eradicating the terrorist groups in Syria and protecting Lebanon's security,” said Ali Shamkhani, the head of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.

Condemning the labeling of Hizbullah as terrorist by the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Shamkhani said “the Zionist entity and its agents are disgruntled by Hizbullah's massive popularity in the Islamic world and the Arab countries.”

On March 11, the council of Arab foreign ministers declared Hizbullah a "terrorist" group, after Gulf monarchies adopted the same stance amid Iranian-Saudi tensions in the region. Lebanon, Iraq and Algeria expressed reservations over the resolution.

The move came a month after Riyadh cut ties with Tehran following demonstrations in which its embassy and a consulate were torched, in the wake of the Saudi execution of a prominent Shiite dissident cleric.

The Arab resolution denounced "Iranian interference" in the "internal affairs" of Arab countries. In January, GCC member Bahrain said it had dismantled a "terror" cell allegedly linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Hizbullah.

Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf nations also accuse Iran of supporting Shiite rebels in Yemen, as well as attempting to destabilize their own regimes.

They also denounce its alliance with the Syrian regime and Hizbullah while they support rebels who have been fighting since 2011 to topple the Damascus government and President Bashar Assad.

In February, Saudi Arabia halted a $3 billion program for military supplies to Lebanon in protest against Hizbullah. Announcing the funding cut, a Saudi official said at the time that the kingdom noticed "hostile Lebanese positions resulting from the stranglehold of Hizbullah on the state."

The United States, Canada and Australia have listed Hizbullah as a "terrorist" group while the European Union has only blacklisted its military wing.

Y.R.

M.T.