Outrage in Lebanon over anti-Hezbollah US meddlesome comments
Comments by a US official against Hezbollah resistance movement have sparked outrage in Lebanon, with the popular group decrying them as “blatant interference” in Lebanon’s affairs.
US deputy special envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus said in a meeting with Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun that Hezbollah “should not be included” in Lebanon’s future government and that the inclusion of Hezbollah was a “red line” for Washington.
“It is thanks to President Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam, and everyone in this government who is committed to an end of corruption, who is committed to reforms and who are committed to making sure that Hezbollah is not a part of this government in any form, and that Hezbollah remains disarmed and militarily defeated.”
Mohammad Raad, head of Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc – the political wing of Hezbollah – in the Lebanese parliament, said the US envoy’s statement was “full of hate and irresponsibility.”
“It targeted a Lebanese component that is an integral part of the national agreement and Lebanese political life that stood up to Israeli aggression and emerged victorious,” Raad said in a statement to the media on Friday.
Such American comments “are an unacceptable interference in Lebanese affairs and a disrespect to all diplomatic customs and international diplomacy rules,” he added.
Mahmoud Qamati, deputy head of Hezbollah’s political council, also strongly responded to interventionist remarks by the US envoy and said Ortagus “threatened a large segment of the Lebanese people” through her statements.
Stressing that the Lebanese have unanimously agreed to include non-partisan figures in the to-be-formed government, Qamati said, “The US with the Donald Trump administration is implementing a new dictatorship to rule the world but it will not be able to impose its project in the region or prevent Hezbollah from participating in the government.”
He underlined that, “The US envoy is putting on an empty show of strength and her statement is extreme insolence.”
Qamati stressed that foreign parties should not be allowed to intervene in Lebanon’s internal affairs, saying, “The US envoy’s statement is a clear threat to a large group of Lebanese citizens.”
Moreover, a group of young Hezbollah supporters gathered in front of Beirut’s airport building on Friday afternoon to protest against the US envoy’s comments.
Waving Hezbollah’s yellow flag, they burned tires and blocked the road leading to Beirut’s international airport, with some of them spray-painting the Star of David and the words “USA” and “Trump” on the road for people to trample and cars to drive over.