Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement must disarm and become a regular political party for the situation in Lebanon to stabilize, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said. He added that Riyadh’s policy is a reaction to Iran’s “aggression.”
In an interview with Reuters, the minister called the Shiite Hezbollah party and militant group a “subsidiary” of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and said that Saudi Arabia is currently consulting with its allies to decide what leverage it can use to force the Lebanese movement to comply with its demands. He added that Riyadh would make a decision “in time.”
Jubeir went on to say that his country decided to take action in response to what it called the increasingly aggressive behavior of Iran in the region, particularly in Yemen and Lebanon. "Any way you look at it, they (the Iranians) are the ones who are acting in an aggressive manner. We are reacting to that aggression and saying enough is enough," he said.
Riyadh’s role in the ongoing Lebanese political crisis remains obscure. In early November, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri abruptly resigned in a surprise announcement made during a visit to the Saudi capital. He has remained in the kingdom ever since.