After years of animosity that strained Riyadh’s relations with Lebanon, Hezbollah commander Naim Qassem urged Saudi Arabia on Friday to turn “a new page” with the Iran-backed organization and put aside previous disagreements in order to present a united front against Israel.
In 2016, the Gulf governments, including Saudi Arabia, declared Shi’ite Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization. The Lebanese government has been under pressure to disarm Hezbollah, which was severely wounded by the conflict with Israel last year, and Riyadh has joined Washington and the group’s enemies in Lebanon in recent months.
Qassem suggested “mending relations” with Riyadh and stated that regional nations should view Israel, not Hezbollah, as the primary threat to the Middle East in a televised speech on Friday.
