Russia and Lebanon against Saudi, Qatar push to condemn Hezbollah at UN
Russia's ambassador to Lebanon claims that Syrian government is defending itself with Hezbollah’s help from a “terrorist offensive.”
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMONHezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah(photo credit: REUTERS)
Russia and the Lebanese government oppose Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s efforts at the UN Human Rights Council to condemn Hezbollah for its fighting in Syria, Lebanese media reported on Monday.“This is absolutely illogical, because Hezbollah stands by the legitimate regime and does not fight it,” Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Zasypkin said after speaking to Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, according to the Lebanese Daily Star.Zasypkin claimed that the Syrian government was defending itself with Hezbollah’s help from a “terrorist offensive,” according to the report.The Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reported on Monday that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were pushing for an anti-Hezbollah clause in the closing statement of the Human Rights Council’s annual conference.The Lebanese foreign minister argued against the move.
