US at bottom of crises, turmoil in West Asia: Hezbollah chief

The secretary-general of Lebanon’s resistance movement Hezbollah has censured the US interference and military presence in West Asia as the main cause of insecurity, crises and turmoil.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah made the remarks during a televised speech broadcast live from the Lebanese capital city of Beirut on Thursday evening as he addressed a ceremony held in commemoration of late Muslim scholar Sheikh Afif al-Nabulsi.

“The United States’ interventionist policies are the root cause of regional woes as Washington blatantly seeks to meddle in all affairs. The culture of submission to US has added to the problem.”

The Hezbollah chief went on to denounce unilateral sanctions imposed by the United States and its Western allies against Syria, emphasizing that the Damascus government would not have needed foreign humanitarian aid if the Caesar Act, which targets any individual and business that participated either directly or indirectly in Syria’s reconstruction efforts, had not been passed in 2019.

US main source of instability in region, world: Analyst

Activist and political commentator Massoud Shadjareh believes the US is the main source of instability not only in West Asia but also across the world.

“Additionally, American occupation forces prevent the Syrian government from reaching out to crude oil and natural gas reserves in the eastern bank of the Euphrates river, and are aggressively plundering energy resources in the area,” Nasrallah said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Nasrallah said the US is directly responsible for the Yemeni people's suffering, and obstructs any initiative aimed at the establishment of stability in the conflict-stricken Arab nation.

Nasrallah said the United States does not allow Iraq to pay its multi-billion-dollar debts to Iran over imports of natural gas and electricity.

“The US embassy in Beirut forces Lebanese authorities to either adopt or abandon certain policies. The Lebanese government must take national interests into account first and foremost, and resist US pressure,” the Hezbollah leader said.

2020 Port of Beirut blast

Nasrallah also pointed to the massive explosion in the Port of Beirut on August 4, 2020 which ripped through Lebanon's capital, killing 218 people, injuring 7,000 and leaving 300,000 displaced.

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“Since the very first moments of the blast, certain media outlets sought to pin the blame on Hezbollah. Those who stopped revelation of the truth are the same parties that politicized the case.

“The real reason why all circumstances surrounding the explosion have not been uncovered is that certain sides persistently tried to link the matter to regional developments,” Nasrallah said.

Clashes in Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon

Nasrallah also highlighted that the media outlets that once blamed Hezbollah for the explosion at Port of Beirut are now accusing it for the flare-up of deadly clashes at the Palestinian Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp near the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon.

“We are not responsible for the fighting at the camp. We have nothing to do with it. We are strongly opposed to clashes there and are working to resolve the matter,” the Hezbollah chief said.

Clashes between rival factions in the Palestinian camp have displaced 20,000 residents, including about 12,000 children, Save the Children said on Thursday.

Hamas urges dialogue as deadly fighting rocks Palestinian camp in Lebanon

Hamas resistance group urged dialogue among rival factions as deadly fighting rages at a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon.

At least 13 people have been killed in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp since fighting broke out on Saturday between fighters from mainstream faction Fatah and members of other Palestinian groups, security sources in the camp told Reuters.

A tenuous ceasefire has been holding after two fighters were killed late Wednesday night, security sources said.

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