Strife between Shias and Sunnis; Saudi Arabia’s Agenda: Sayyed Nasrallah

Speaking during a televised speech in Beirut on Tuesday, Nasrallah said division among Muslims is a “great threat,” adding that creating strife in Lebanon, particularly among Shias and Sunnis, is on the agenda of Saudi Arabia.

Urging Lebanese not to be intimidated by threats posed by Saudi Arabia and Israel, which are seeking to create strife in the countries where Sunnis and Shias live, he warned the Lebanese nation against “serving” the Israeli and Saudi goals.

The Hezbollah leader also held Saudi Arabia responsible for some of the car bombings that have targeted Lebanon, Syria and Iraq since 2003.

He further said that the suspension of a Saudi aid to the Lebanese army has given rise to some concerns in Lebanon which in turn have caused extensive media propaganda against Hezbollah by Saudis and some Persian Gulf states.

On February 20, Saudi Arabia suspended $3 billion in military aid to the Lebanese army and another $1 billion to the country’s internal security forces. The decision came following recent victories by the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah fighters, against the Takfiri militants fighting to topple the Damascus government. Referring to the suspension of the Saudi aid as merely a political maneuver, Hezbollah said in a statement that the move exposes the real face of Saudi Arabia and refutes its claims about fighting terrorism, PRESS TV reports.

Nasrallah said the Saudi propaganda against Hezbollah has led to a political conflict in Lebanon, and advised the Lebanese youth against playing into the hands of Saudi Arabia, which he said spreads lies about Hezbollah and wrongly accuses the resistance movement of sowing sectarian strife between Shias and Sunnis.

“Who are we affecting when we cut off roads? We are affecting our own people and causing inconvenience in their neighborhoods, and I ask you to act in a civilized manner next time you hear or see something,” he said, referring to the street protests his country witnessed over the weekend after a Saudi-owned TV channel aired an insulting show about the resistance group’s leader.

He also denounced the Arab world’s silence in the face of Riyadh’s aggression on Yemen, where over 8,000 people have lost their lives since the Saudi onslaught began in late March last year.

Nasrallah warned that there are some Lebanese groups hoping to see a war in Lebanon just like the one Riyadh has waged against Yemen.