Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri said on Saturday that he will not accept Iran-backed Hezbollah’s positions that “affect our Arab brothers or targets the security and stability of their countries”, a statement from his press office said.
Hariri announced his resignation from his post on Nov. 4 in a televised statement from Saudi Arabia, a Sunni monarchy and regional powerhouse locked in a confrontation with Shi‘ite Iran.
After returning to Lebanon this week, he shelved the decision on Wednesday at the request of President Michel Aoun.
On Saturday, he said that his decision to wait instead of officially resigning is to give a chance to discuss and look into demands that will make Lebanon neutral and allow it to enforce its “disassociation” policy.
“Disassociation” is widely understood in Lebanon to mean its policy of staying out of regional conflicts. The regional role played by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah political and military movement has greatly alarmed Saudi Arabia, Hariri’s long-time ally.
Top Lebanese Druze politician Walid Jumblatt on Saturday called on Saudi Arabia to enter dialogue with Iran and said that the kingdom’s modernization plans could not work while Riyadh was engaged in a war in Yemen.
REUTERS
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