Halt in Saudi aid to Lebanon belies Riyadh's fight against terrorism: Hezbollah

[Hasbara Buster]

Halt in Saudi aid to Lebanon belies Riyadh's fight against terrorism: Hezbollah

Lebanese army soldiers march during a parade in Lebanon's Beirut. (file photo)

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says the Saudi decision to suspend its aid to the Lebanese army exposes the real face of Saudi Arabia and refutes its claims about fighting terrorism.

Hezbollah said in a statement on Friday that the Saudi decision exposes Riyadh’s false allegations of combating terrorism, including supporting the Lebanese army.

Earlier, Saudi Arabia suspended a $3-billion package to the Lebanese army and a remainder of $1 billion in aid to its internal security forces.

The $3-billion package was provided to Lebanon to buy military equipment from France. The first shipment of French weapons and military equipment had already been delivered to Lebanon in April 2015 under the Saudi-funded deal to bolster the Lebanese army's fight against Takfiri militants encroaching from neighboring Syria.

The resistance movement added that the Saudi halt of aid reveals the real stance of Riyadh, which supports and funds terrorism in the Muslim and Arab world.

Meanwhile, the statement said the decision was expected and has not surprised anyone in Lebanon as several officials with Beirut government were fully aware that the Saudi decision has been taken since a long time and many local and international media outlets circulated it.

The movement also attributed the kingdom’s decision to the severe financial crisis it currently suffers due to its war on Yemen and involvement in the conspiracy of slashing the oil prices.

“This financial crisis has led to an unprecedented austerity measures inside the kingdom.”

Hezbollah said blaming the movement and the Lebanese Foreign Ministry for such a decision is a failed attempt which cannot fool the reasonable and wise.

Riyadh proceeded to "a total evaluation of its relations with the Lebanese republic" in light of positions taken by Hezbollah, an unnamed official told the Saudi Press Agency on Friday.

The decision comes following recent victories by the Syrian army, backed by Hezbollah, against the Takfiri militants fighting to topple the Damascus government.

PressTV-'Saudi lies on fighting terrorism exposed'

 

[somebozo]

Well the new king has no love for Lebanese prostitutes he is very much of a straight man..the two other princes incharge Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed Bin Naif do not help either...Lebanese military will have to show some performance to gain more funds....and above all..the country will have to get rid of Hezbolla trolling...for a long time..crooked Lebanese politicians have used the staged threat of Hezbolla to siphon free money from Saudi which eventually lands into secret swiss accounts...

 

[Aslan]

Well the new king has no love for Lebanese prostitutes he is very much of a straight man..the two other princes incharge Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed Bin Naif do not help either...Lebanese military will have to show some performance to gain more funds....and above all..the country will have to get rid of Hezbolla trolling...for a long time..crooked Lebanese politicians have used the staged threat of Hezbolla to siphon free money from Saudi which eventually lands into secret swiss accounts...

Hiziz want to cry now, not that many days ago their Gen sec was chest thumping how they won't let the saudis make lebanon their state. Now money does talk
They have no one else to blame but them selves. Let's now forget how the lebanese army had been working as a security guard for the hiziz. The whole political system is a bloody mess, thanks to the hizi blackmail of who can and can't be the president. Now they will probably realize how serious shit is getting, let's see how far drugs money gets them.

 

[Madali]

Hiziz want to cry now, not that many days ago their Gen sec was chest thumping how they won't let the saudis make lebanon their state. Now money does talk
They have no one else to blame but them selves. Let's now forget how the lebanese army had been working as a security guard for the hiziz. The whole political system is a bloody mess, thanks to the hizi blackmail of who can and can't be the president. Now they will probably realize how serious shit is getting, let's see how far drugs money gets them.

Hezbollah aren't crying, because this would be an advantage for Hezbollah, not disadvantage. Without Saudi funding in Lebanon, how exactly are they going to counter Hezbollah growth & influence in Lebanon?

I bet Hezbollah are secretly celebrating, and they will milk this in the internal news, so that the groups that were dependent on KSA will appear like they bet on the wrong horse.

 

[Ceylal]

Well the new king has no love for Lebanese prostitutes he is very much of a straight man..the two other princes incharge Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed Bin Naif do not help either...Lebanese military will have to show some performance to gain more funds....and above all..the country will have to get rid of Hezbolla trolling...for a long time..crooked Lebanese politicians have used the staged threat of Hezbolla to siphon free money from Saudi which eventually lands into secret swiss accounts...

Bullshit,Lebanon refused to join the joint islamic military pawpaw under the Sauds command. It was a Saudi trait, we pay you play ...

 

[Chevil]

Well the new king has no love for Lebanese prostitutes he is very much of a straight man..the two other princes incharge Mohammed bin Salman and Mohammed Bin Naif do not help either...Lebanese military will have to show some performance to gain more funds....and above all..the country will have to get rid of Hezbolla trolling...for a long time..crooked Lebanese politicians have used the staged threat of Hezbolla to siphon free money from Saudi which eventually lands into secret swiss accounts...

Hearing this from a Saudi member is really funny ...

reall story ...


Saudi Arabia halts $4B in Lebanese deals over Iran dispute

BEIRUT (AP) — Saudi Arabia announced on Friday it is halting deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting Lebanese security forces in retaliation for the tiny country's siding with Iran amid the Sunni kingdom's spat with the Shiite power.


The surprise announcement, carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency, comes as deeply divided Lebanon struggles to handle the fallout from neighboring Syria's raging civil war. The Lebanese prime minister said his government "deeply regretted" the Saudi decision adding that this is a sovereign matter for the kingdom.

"We did not want the matter to reach what contradicts that nature of historic relations between Lebanon and the country of the two shrines (Saudi Arabia)," read a statement released by Prime Minister Tammam Salam's office. "We are keen on keeping the relations brotherly and friendly."

One deal involves a four-year, $3 billion Saudi pledge to buy French arms for the Lebanese military, which already has seen the Mediterranean country receive modern anti-tank guided Milan missiles last year. The other involves a $1 billion support deal for the Lebanese police.

The decision came after Lebanese Foreign Minister Gibran Bassil declined to support Saudi resolutions against Iran during two meetings of Arab and Muslim foreign ministers. Bassil is the president of the right-wing Christian Free Patriotic Movement, which is one of the strongest allies of the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group in Lebanon.

Saudi Arabia long has been suspicious of Iran, which also supports Syria's embattled President Bashar Assad. Relations took a turn for the worse at the start of the year, when Saudi Arabia executed a prominent Shiite cleric and protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Iran. That prompted Riyadh to cut diplomatic relations with Tehran.

The Saudi news agency statement said the kingdom halted the deals because of Lebanon's "non-condemnation of the blatant attacks against the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its Consulate-General in Mashhad, which are contrary to international law and diplomatic norms."

"Saudi Arabia considers these positions as regrettable and unjustified," the report said. The Lebanese decision is "inconsistent with the fraternal relations between the two countries and they are not taking into account their interests."

U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner, speaking to reporters in Washington, would not comment on the Saudi move but reiterated American support for the Lebanese military.

"We're going to continue our support to the Lebanese armed forces and security services with one objective in mind, which is to ensure that the army continues its role as a legitimate protector of Lebanon's borders, people, including from extremist threats," Toner said. "We've given some $1.4 billion since 2005, and that support will continue."

Hezbollah said in a statement that the Saudi decision "did not surprise anyone," adding that Saudi Arabia is passing through a financial crisis because of the war in Yemen and the fall of oil prices, the kingdom's main source of income.

But Samir Geagea, who heads the Christian Lebanese Forces party, blamed Hezbollah for the country's loss of billions of dollars "for attacking" Saudi Arabia. He called on the Lebanese Cabinet to meet over the issue.

The Saudi decision likely will be a painful one for the Lebanese army.

The army is generally seen as a unifying force in Lebanon and draws its ranks from all of the country's sects. However, it's widely viewed as being much weaker than Hezbollah.

Historically, the Lebanese army has been equipped by the United States and France. The Saudi pledge by the late King Abdullah, announced in December 2013, was described at the time as the largest-ever single grant to the Lebanese armed forces.

Also at play since that time is the dramatic drop in world crude oil prices. Once over $100 a barrel, crude now sells at around $30, putting tremendous strain on Saudi Arabia, which has been burning through billions of its reserves. This week, ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgraded the kingdom's credit rating due to low oil prices.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai. Associated Press writers Zeina Karam in Beirut and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.


Saudi Arabia halts $4B in Lebanese deals over Iran dispute - Yahoo News

 

[ptldM3]

I was reading an article somewhere earlier that said the Saudis were to "train" the Lebanese.....I almost fell out of my chair laughing

Saudi Arabia has one of the most sophisticated militaries in the world (in terms of what they purchased) yet they proved to be one of the most inept and incompetent militaries on earth. In Yemen 93% of casualties are civilian (UN figure) entire columns of Saudi troops have been ambushed, military HQs in Saudi Arabia have been attacked, ect.

The Russian Air Force has in Syria has achieved more in 2 weeks with fewer aircraft and fewer civilian deaths then what Saudi Arabia has achieved in Yemen for almost a year.

@somebozo before calling other people prostitutes realize that Saudi Arabia often has foreign troops stationed in the country. The US has launched attacks on other courtiers from Saudi Arabia, you guys also have to hire mercenaries in Yemen because you can't fight

 

[somebozo]

I was reading an article somewhere earlier that said the Saudis were to "train" the Lebanese.....I almost fell out of my chair laughing

No it is the french who are going to train the Lebanese...not the Saudis...

 

[Serpentine]

It's not only politics, low oil prices are emptying their money cache so fast that they don't even know what to do. Anyway, good news for Lebanon, the last thing they need is dirty money for weapons so Saudis can have an influence on them. Any place that Saudi money goes, death, destruction and extremism appears. Better to fight Nusra and ISIS terrorists with Ak-47s rather with weapons bought by Saudis.

 

[Aslan]

Hezbollah aren't crying, because this would be an advantage for Hezbollah, not disadvantage. Without Saudi funding in Lebanon, how exactly are they going to counter Hezbollah growth & influence in Lebanon?

I bet Hezbollah are secretly celebrating, and they will milk this in the internal news, so that the groups that were dependent on KSA will appear like they bet on the wrong horse.

Sell ur bs to ones who want to buy it.
I am not ur average Iranian turd. Stop wasting my time. Please

 

[libertycall]

Wise move by the Saudis. Why should they pay for a 'Lebanese army' which is controlled by Hezbollah? They can spend that money in much wiser ways by supporting the Sunni Lebanese being persecuted by the Takfiri Iranian puppets.

 

[Timur]

hope some day lebanon will get rid of these mullah clowns they dont deserve this only pain bringing marons..

 

[alarabi]

This is one of the best political moves that Saudi has done lately. Now, it's the time to mix all things up in Lebanon before forming a new Gov.

 

[Serpentine]

Wise move by the Saudis. Why should they pay for a 'Lebanese army' which is controlled by Hezbollah? They can spend that money in much wiser ways by supporting the Sunni Lebanese being persecuted by the Takfiri Iranian puppets.

They already did, those 'persecuted Sunnis' have joined Nusra and ISIS in droves and have presence in northern Lebanon.

That happens in every single place that Saudis spend money, guess who is using terror attacks against Pak army and civilians. Such a pity you still look up to them, but I have seen many similar cases. As long as this mentality exists in Pakistan, the country won't be able to get rid of terror groups like TTP, LeJ etc.

 

[libertycall]

They already did, those 'persecuted Sunnis' have joined Nusra and ISIS in droves and have presence in northern Lebanon.

That happens in every single place that Saudis spend money, guess who is using terror attacks against Pak army and civilians. Such a pity you still look up to them, but I have seen many similar cases. As long as this mentality exists in Pakistan, the country won't be able to get rid of terror groups like TTP, LeJ etc.

Really? You're saying Saudi is funding terrorist groups to attack the Pakistani army? Evidence?

Here's something you may want to research. The Salafis in Industan in the 1800's were fighting the colonialist occupation. And they were among the FIRST to be sent to Kaala Pani. The Sikhs and Hindus were sent there later.

Manmath Nath Gupta, a freedom fighter who has spent a large part of his life serving prison sentences under the British, has done detailed research on the Andaman penal settlements and written several books on the subject including the story of his own exploits-the famous Kakori Conspiracy case of 1925-and those of his accomplices many of whom served sentences in the Andamans.

"When I was convicted in 1927 I was not sent to the Andamans because the Andamans had ceased to be a penal settlement for political prisoners. But I had wanted to make a pilgrimage to the place ever since 1872 when Sher Ali, a Wahabi prisoner, stabbed Lord Mayo in the Andamans in the only successful attempt by revolutionaries on such a high official.

Dreaded territory: Terrible myths about Cellular Jail at Port Blair in the Andamans : Cover Story - India Today

Salafis were fighting for the freedom of Industanis way back when your Safavi fathers were sending us traitors like Syed Meer Jaafar Ali. Even Hindus were aware that the Salafis may have been fanatics, but they were not traitors. Unlike the Safavis who arrived in Industan in the 1800's and the first thing they did was sell the Industanis down the river.

So yeah we know our history and the favors you Safavis did our fathers.