Saudi Arabia provided intel to Israel during Second Lebanon War, Iranian official claims

Iran's Parliament Speaker accuses Saudi Arabia of shirking its responsibility to help "the resistance axis" both in the 2008 war in Gaza and in the Second Lebanon War.

By MAAYAN GROISMAN
Updated: JUNE 7, 2016 11:27
Ali Younesi (center) with President Hassan Rouhani (right) and Ali Larijani, the current chairman of the Iranian parliament, at a conference on Iran’s Nuclear Policies and Prospects in Tehran in 2006. (photo credit: RAHEB HOMAVANDI/REUTERS)
Ali Younesi (center) with President Hassan Rouhani (right) and Ali Larijani, the current chairman of the Iranian parliament, at a conference on Iran’s Nuclear Policies and Prospects in Tehran in 2006.
(photo credit: RAHEB HOMAVANDI/REUTERS)
Shortly before Israel is set to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, a senior Iranian official has alleged that the Saudi Kingdom provided Israel with key intelligence during the war against Hezbollah.
In an interview with the Lebanese TV channel al-Mayadeen on Sunday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said that while Saudi Arabia shirked its responsibility to help "the resistance axis" both in the 2008 war in Gaza and in the Second Lebanon War, Iran supported Hamas and Hezbollah.
"In 2006, when Israel invaded Lebanon, the Saudis argued that it was a war between Sunnis and Shi'ites in which they would not intervene, "Larijani said.
“We do not interfere in the Sunni-Shi'ite schism. One of the basic principles of our constitution is the support for the weak people, and that is why we support Hamas and Islamic Jihad even though they are Sunnis,” he said.
"Similarly, we supported Hezbollah and the Lebanese resistance to enable them to protect themselves and today Hezbollah is a key force in Lebanon and the entire Middle East.
"However, the Saudis used the excuse of the purportedly sectarian conflict to stay out of the war and support the Zionist entity. We have reliable information according to which during the Second Lebanon War, the Saudis provided Israel with intelligence," Larijani added.
"In 2008, when Israel attacked Gaza, we provided Hamas with military aid. The Saudis claimed that this war was Iran's war," Larijani stated.
In addition, the senior Iranian official argued that "resistance to Israel is not part of the Arab states' agenda," adding that "it is enough for them to shout out slogans touting their support for Palestine in international conferences."
This Arab approach toward the Palestinian issue, Larijani said, is what transformed Israel into a power in the region.