Senior Hezbollah member criticizes Saudi arms deal with the US

Rasa – Hujjat al-Islam Qawouq criticized Saudi Arabia’s arms deal with the United States and its reluctance to fulfill its promise to provide military aid to Lebanon.

News ID: 430588

Date: 26 June 2017 - 11:56

RNA – Speaking at a ceremony held in the southern Lebanese village of Kounin, Hujjat al-Islam Nabil Qawouq, a member of the Central Council of the Islamic Resistance group, Hezbollah, said “The current political achievements in Lebanon are the result of the establishment of a new era that has opened the doors for political reform and has addressed the livelihood and economic problems facing the Lebanese people.”

The Lebanese Shi’ah cleric added that the consultative talks in Lebanon are a real opportunity to consolidate and establish national unity among all Lebanese people and lead the country to political stability and away from all problems.

In other remarks, Hujjat al-Islam Qawouq strongly criticized Saudi Arabia saying, “Saudi Arabia does not dare to support the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation, while Saudi arms and money continue to flow into the hands of Takfiri terrorist groups in Syria and they continue to fuel the war in Iraq.”

The senior member of the Islamic Resistance said Saudi Arabia promised the Lebanese army three billion dollars in aid to purchase French weapons but it later retreated from its promises after Beirut refused to vote on a joint Arab statement condemning the attacks on Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran in January 2016 because it also criticized Hezbollah.

He emphasized that Saudi Arabia has sought to justify its actions by acknowledging that is has faced a financial crisis but the 350-billion-dollar arms deal signed between US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on May 20th in Riyadh has exposed Saudi Arabia because their agreement with Lebanon consists of only one percent of the volume of the arms deal with the US.

Hujjat al-Islam Qawouq stated that Saudi policies are a real disaster for the Islamic and Arab nations, especially since the only beneficiary in the region is the Israeli enemy and said, “Rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel is a stab in the heart of al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the biggest scandal against Arabism and the rights of the Palestinian people."

“That which the Saudi regime speaks about harms all the meanings and values of Arabism in our time,” he added.

He stressed the failure of Saudi policies and conspiracies in the region despite pumping tens of billions of dollars to sow discord among Muslims and their purchase of weapons for terrorists.

The senior member of Hezbollah stressed that the defeat of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist organization in Syria will strengthen the power and immunity of Syria, topple the Zionist projects and protect Lebanon from the Takfiri terrorist project.

Hujjat al-Islam Qawouq added that the defeat of terrorism in Syria and Iraq will lead to the formation of new equations and strategies in the region.

In conclusion, he called on the Lebanese people to find a solution to the occupation of large areas of Jaroud Arsal and Ras Baalbek by forces of Daesh and the al-Nusrah Front so that Takfiri terrorism will no longer have headquarters on Lebanese soil and corridors that threaten the stability and the lives of the Lebanese people.

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