BEIRUT — Lebanese Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi has announced his resignation from the Cabinet, saying the militant Hezbollah group is dominating the government.
Rifi has been one of Hezbollah’s harshest critics in Lebanon and his resignation on Sunday came two days after Saudi Arabia halted deals worth $4 billion aimed at equipping and supporting Lebanese security forces.
Rifi said in a statement that “the practices of Hezbollah’s statelet and its allies are not acceptable.”
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 Saudi Press Agency said. The Lebanese decision is “inconsistent with the fraternal relations between the two countries and they are not taking into account their interests.”
On Saturday, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries expressed full support for the Saudi decision to review its relations with Lebanon and stop its scheduled aid to Lebanese army and security forces.
GCC Secretary General Abdullatif Al-Zayani said that Lebanon has deviated from the Arab consensus, and its stand is not in harmony with the GCC position.
Bahrain News Agency quoted a statement by the Foreign Ministry that Bahrain values the Saudi decision and considers it a necessary step.
The statement said that Bahrain looks forward to Lebanon to reconsider its anti-Arab position, deter terrorist group Hezbollah and halt its unacceptable practices.
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said in a statement that Saudi Arabia’s decision came after Lebanon’s repeated anti-Arab stand.
“Lebanon’s official position has been hijacked and turned against the interests of Lebanon itself and the interests of Arabs, something evident in the so-called Hezbollah’s hijacking of Lebanon’s official decision, which led the country to taking an incongruous position that is against pan-Arab interests,” the statement stated.
“We regret Lebanon’s negative stand despite the historic and traditional support extended to it by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other member states of the GCC and despite the fact that these states stood by Lebanon during its hard times,” the statement added.
