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The Maronite patriarch in Lebanon, Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, harshly criticized Hezbollah in a video distributed by local media on Thursday. And he asked Lebanon to remain neutral. These statements, in which the Patriarch reproached the Shiite party for its prejudice towards Iran and its interference in Syria, are the first of their kind.
In unusual direct statements criticizing a group HezbollahOn Thursday, the Maronite Patriarch of Lebanon, Bishara Boutros Al-Rahi, said that those who drag the country into regional conflicts are not acting in their interest. While Hezbollah declined to comment.
The Maronite Patriarch said in a video recorded by local media on Thursday, in which he referred to the violent conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Yemen: “I want to say (tell you) why you are against neutrality. To force me to go to war? So if you take my opinion, are you involved in war? What do you think my consent to do is different from Syria? In Iraq? In Yemen? for the benefit of your people. “
Al-Rahi said he had received visits from Hezbollah supporters, who were particularly critical of the group for feeling the scale of the financial collapse in Lebanon.
He added: “We were brought by Hezbollah people and they told us that this weapon is against us. We cannot take us, because they are hungry like us.”
This video is al-Ra’i’s strongest criticism to date of Hezbollah, which, along with its political allies, dominates the Lebanese parliament.
The patriarch has influence in Lebanon as the head of the Maronite Church, which belongs to the sect of which the president should be under the power-sharing system.
Al-Rahi called for Lebanon to remain neutral, referring to the deployment of Hezbollah fighters in neighboring Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad alongside Shiite militias, as well as its alliance with Iran in a regional conflict with Saudi Arabia.
Hezbollah’s opponents say its relationship with Tehran has alienated the Arab Gulf states that have been pumping money into Lebanon, shutting down a critical source of aid.
And the crunching financial crisis in Lebanon caused the Lebanese pound to collapse, causing the exacerbation of poverty and hunger. This is the worst crisis in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.
France 24 / Reuters
