Egypt not considering any measures against Hezbollah: Sisi

Saudi Arabia has said Hezbollah should be disarmed and kept out of the Lebanese government.

“The subject is not about taking on or not taking on, the subject is about the status of the fragile stability in the region in light of the unrest facing the region,” Sisi told CNBC in an interview when asked if Egypt would consider its own measures against Hezbollah.

“The region cannot support more turmoil,” he said.

The remarks came days after the Lebanese political scene was rattled by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s announcement of resignation in a televised speech from Saudi Arabia.

Hariri, a long-time Riyadh ally, accused Iran and Hezbollah of meddling in Arab countries’ affairs.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Persian Gulf Affairs Thamer al-Sabhan said that Lebanese government would “be dealt with as a government declaring war on Saudi Arabia” because of what he described as aggression by Hezbollah.

He further noted the Lebanese “must choose between peace or aligning with Hezbollah.”

The Saudi diplomat has also called for “real sanctions” and alliances against the resistance movement, saying Hezbollah should be disarmed and kept out of government.

He had earlier unleashed a series of vitriolic attacks against Hezbollah, saying the group “should be punished... and confronted by force.”

Hezbollah is represented in the Lebanese parliament and in the national unity government formed by Hariri last year.

The resistance group has played a critical role in the Syrian military’s counter-terrorism operations over the past few years.

In the latest gain against terrorists, Hezbollah and the Syrian military successfully purged Daesh militants from Syria’s Qalamoun region on Lebanon’s border. The Qalamoun operation came following a similar joint campaign at Lebanon’s highlands of Arsal.

Hezbollah’s achievements have raised worries in Saudi Arabia, which has long supported Takfiri violence in the region.



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