US sanctions responsible for political, economic crises in Lebanon: Hezbollah
The head of the religious council of Hezbollah resistance movement has censured the illegal sanctions imposed by the United States on Lebanon, stating that the coercive measure are primarily responsible for the financial meltdown and political stalemate in the Arab country.
“Is there any reason for the country's calamities other than the US and its blockade? The purpose of such bids is to force the Lebanese nation into capitulation,” Sheikh Mohammad Yazbek said.
“The honorable people of Lebanon will neither be deceived nor surrender. They exercise so much patience, and God willing, will pull off a historic victory at last,” he added.
Lebanon’s presidency has seen stalemate several times since the 1975-1990 civil war. The country has also had only a caretaker government since May.
The Arab country has been mired in an economic crisis that the World Bank has dubbed one of the worst in recent history, which comes amid crippling sanctions imposed by the US and its allies.
The Lebanese pound has lost more than 95 percent of its value on the black market since 2019.
According to the United Nations, the ongoing financial crisis in Lebanon has caused poverty rates to reach more than 80 percent of the population, and food prices have risen by an astonishing 2,000 percent.
Creditors under the US influence such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have conditioned the release of billions of dollars in emergency loans to specific reforms which many observers would make the country dependent on the West.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Sheikh Yezbek pointed to the uptick in Israeli violence and atrocities against Palestinians in light of the international community’s silence and apathy of the so-called advocates of human rights.
“Why doesn’t the civilized world condemn the Israeli enemy for its brutal killings of Palestinians? This silence comes as the Zionist enemy has violated all principles, charters and international treaties,” he said.
Over the past months, Israel has ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and cities throughout the occupied territories. As a result of these attacks, dozens of Palestinians have lost their lives and many others have been arrested.
Most of the raids have focused on Nablus and Jenin, where Israeli forces have been trying to stifle a growing Palestinian resistance in the occupied cities.
Local and international rights groups have condemned Israel’s excessive use of force and “shoot-to-kill policy” against Palestinians.
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