TEHRAN (Iran News) – In less than one week after the birthday anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and holding the Islamic Unity Week in Tehran and worldwide, a new conspiracy was shaped and as usual Saudi Arabia with its controversial human rights record has been behind this conspiracy and has created rift among Muslims and against Lebanon and this country’s Hizbollah group.
A couple of days ago first Saudi Arabia ordered the Lebanese ambassador to the country to leave over the “offensive” remarks made by Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi regarding the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen.
Kordahi said in an interview with an online show affiliated with Qatar’s Al Jazeera network that the Yemen war was “futile” and said it was time to end the war. He also defended Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement, saying the Houthis were “defending themselves… against an external aggression,” adding that “homes, villages, funerals and weddings were being bombed” by the coalition.
The interview was recorded on August 5 before Kordahi was appointed as minister, but it was aired on Monday and Saudis took advantage of it.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday that it had given Lebanon’s ambassador 48 hours to leave Riyadh and had recalled its ambassador to Lebanon for consultations as well. Now it is said that other Arab states like Bahrain, Kuwait and the UAE have joined Saudi Arabia and have expelled or called for departure of Lebanon’s ambassadors. They also summoned their ambassadors to Lebanon to show consolidation with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia and some of its regional allies, backed by the U.S. and other Western powers, have been waging a devastating war on Yemen since March 2015 to reinstall Yemen’s former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh, and eliminate the popular Ansarullah movement. The kingdom has also imposed a ban on all imports from Lebanon, the ministry said.
With such a move, Saudi Arabia actually has targeted both Lebanon and Yemen to put pressure on Hizbullah and Ansarullah groups. Saudis seem to be playing on the West’s court to increase pressure on Lebanon government which is struggling with the current economic and social crisis in the country.
Iran’s dispatching of tankers of fuel to Lebanon seems to have enraged the West, and as usual Saudi Arabia as the lackey of the West in the region has been used as a pawn against Lebanon and for creating rift among Muslims and Kordahi’s remarks is nothing but a pretext to fan the flame of tension between Shiites and Sunnis.
The Arab League said it is concerned about a rapid deterioration of Lebanese-Persian Gulf relations after critical comments made by Lebanese Information Minister Kordahi regarding the Saudi-led war against Yemen.
In a statement on Saturday quoting Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, it appealed to Persian Gulf countries “to reflect on the measures proposed to be taken … in order to avoid further negative effects on the collapsing Lebanese economy”.
“Aboul Gheit expressed his deep concern and regret over the rapid deterioration in Lebanese-(Persian) Gulf relations …,” the league statement said, adding that it was confident Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati would act quickly to ease the crisis.
The comments came hours after Saudi Arabia banned all imports from Lebanon and gave the Lebanese ambassador 48 hours to leave the country. Saudi Arabia also banned its citizens from travelling to Lebanon.
What Kordahi said on August 5 is nothing new for taking such a reaction because other officials in other Arab states have made such remarks in the past but Saudis have not shown such a strong reaction. While Israel is trying to have warmer ties with the Persian Gulf states, such a reaction by those states against Lebanon and actually against Hizbollah group which is a serious threat to Israelis seems logical and predictable.
Of course whenever Iran in recent years has tried to start talks and resolves its nuclear issue, some incidents have happened in the region to overshadow and maybe this is a plot to overshadow the JCPOA talks, and to create a condition for increasing pressure on the Islamic Republic of Iran by increasing pressure on its allies in the region.
Saudi Arabia is feeling the imminent defeat in Yemen war and it is trying to find ways to step out of this quagmire as a victor, and recent naïve action to expel Lebanese minister is just for diverting the attention of the world public to other issues than their defeat in Yemen.
But Arab states are better to stop playing with the card of Saudi Arabia because there is no chance for them to win and any rift in Muslim nations will please the West and will pave the way for West’s increasing dominance in the region.
Lebanon and Hizbollah group will not bow to such pressures and they are also able to handle this issue and another negative point will be registered in the book of records of Riyadh and its lackeys.
