Hariri's Strong Reaction to Nasrallah's Remarks on Saudi Operations in Yemen

Saad Hariri, the leader of Lebanon's Future Movement, has reacted strongly to the statements made by Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, regarding Saudi military operations in Yemen. On Friday, April 7, Nasrallah stated, "The Saudi attack on Yemen will suffer a humiliating defeat and the aggressors will be humiliated." He severely criticized the leaders of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies, as well as Sunni Arab governments, saying that their lack of responsibility and misunderstanding of the regional situation has led to an increase in Iran's influence. Nasrallah questioned, "What has suddenly made the lazy Arab regimes brave and decisive? And why have Arab countries not taken military action to liberate Jerusalem and defend Palestinians against Israel?" However, according to Lebanese media, Saad Hariri, who leads the nationalist faction in Lebanon and is a rival of Hezbollah, described Nasrallah's remarks against Saudi Arabia and the monarchies as "malicious" and "disgusting." On Saturday, April 8, Hariri added that Nasrallah's statements were made out of anger, frustration, and confusion. Hariri, who has served as Prime Minister of Lebanon, accused Hezbollah and its Secretary-General on Twitter of prioritizing Iran's interests over Lebanon's national interests. He wrote, "The prioritization of Hezbollah for Iranian interests over Lebanon's is not a new issue." In a veiled reference to the alliance between Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran, he stated, "Their (Iranians') advice has brought destruction and war (for Lebanon), but Saudi Arabia has always provided benevolent assistance to Lebanon and other Arab countries." According to Hariri, "Nasrallah's insults, which are not worthy of a response, do not weaken Lebanon's strong relations with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries." The leader of the Future Movement in Lebanon has supported Saudi military operations in Yemen in support of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President of Yemen, against the Houthi militants. Hezbollah is accused of being involved in the massive explosion ten years ago that led to the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Saad Hariri's father. Rafik Hariri was a long-time Prime Minister of Lebanon, and after his assassination, his son also served as Prime Minister. Hezbollah's stance against Saudi military operations in Yemen, which began on April 6, aligns with the views of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the situation in Yemen. While Saudi Arabia and Arab countries support the survival of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi's government, Iran is accused of supporting the Shiite Zaidi Houthi militants, which Iran denies. However, leaders of Arab League member states at the Sharm El Sheikh summit in Egypt, which has been ongoing since Saturday, April 8, have strongly criticized what they called Iran's negative role in Yemen, deeming it intolerable. According to Arab media, Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the President of Yemen, on Saturday, April 8, identified Iran as the main culprit in creating the recent crisis in his country. The Arab coalition's air operations under the name "Decisive Storm" in Yemen, primarily targeting Houthi militia positions led by Saudi Arabia, continued on Sunday, April 9, for the fourth consecutive day.