kayhan.ir

News ID: 46528
Publish Date : 15 November 2017 - 21:34
President Rouhani:

Saudis Begged Zionists to Bomb Lebanon



TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had implored the occupying regime of Israel to bomb Lebanon, calling it an unprecedented act by a Muslim country.
"It is very reprehensible and shameful for a Muslim country in the region to beg the Zionist regime to bomb the people of Lebanon,” Rouhani said.
"It is unprecedented in history for a Muslim country to take such measures, and this indicates the immaturity of the individuals, who have come to power in those countries,” Rouhani said during a government meeting.
Tensions rapidly increased in Lebanon with the resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri earlier this month during a visit to Saudi Arabia.
"Your blatant intervention in an independent country like Lebanon and your demands for the Prime Minister (Saad Hariri) to resign and providing someone else instead (to take over from Hariri), is an unprecedented event in modern history," Rouhani said in an address to Saudi authorities.
Hariri’s situation is not completely clear and calls, including from his Lebanese political rivals, have mounted for Saudi Arabia to guarantee the prime minister’s freedom of movement.
The 47-year-old announced his resignation on November 4 in a surprise move that coincided with a sweeping purge in the Saudi kingdom’s elite, ostensibly over embezzlement accusations. He condemned Hezbollah and Iran and said his life was in danger.
Hariri, who was born in Saudi Arabia, did not say when he would return to Lebanon, where President Michel Aoun has yet to formally accept his resignation.
On Wednesday, Aoun upped his criticism of Saudi Arabia, saying that Riyadh has carried out an act of aggression against Lebanon.
"We consider Prime Minister Saad Hariri as being detained in Saudi Arabia and this is an act of aggression against Lebanon,” Aoun said during a meeting with the National Audio Visual Council.
Aoun said that nothing justified Hariri’s continued stay in Saudi Arabia, now into day 12. "This contradicts the Vienna Treaty and human rights,” Aoun was quoted as saying via the president’s Twitter account.
"Don’t be scared, economically, financially or security-wise. The country is safe and national unity supports security,” Aoun added. "We cannot keep waiting and lose time, because state affairs cannot be put on hold.”
Reiterating his previous comments regarding Hariri’s resignation, Aoun said that it wasn’t possible to complete the resignation formality as Hariri had announced it "from abroad.”
Aoun added: "He needs to return to Lebanon to submit his resignation or withdraw it, or discuss the reasons for it and the solutions.”
Later Wednesday, Hariri tweeted again stating that he was "fine and will return to Lebanon soon, as promised."
Aoun also hit out at Saudi Arabia, saying they were holding Hariri’s family.
"We have not previously asked for their return, but we have confirmed they are also detained and family members are being searched as they enter and leave the house," Aoun said in a statement reported by local media outlets.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also called for Hariri's return to Lebanon without further delay.
"Lebanon’s stability is important, and its removal from any regional conflicts,” Johnson said after a meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil at the British Foreign Ministry in London Wednesday.
Bassil stressed the priority of Hariri’s return, saying that President Aoun will listen carefully to all issues to discuss.
"Lebanon’s stability is equal to the regions and the whole world’s stability, especially because Lebanon has sensitive issues such as Syrian refugees,” Bassil said.
Later Wednesday, Bassil met with his Italian counterpart where the two discussed the ongoing situation in Lebanon after Hariri's resignation.
Bassil arrived in Europe for meetings with senior officials from the EU and member states. On Tuesday, he met separately with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as with EU High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.