Hezbollah politician says US and Israel responsible for tensions in the region

Ali Fayad met with Russian officials in Moscow during security conference

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they pose on the West Wing colonnade in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo
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The United States and Israel are responsible for heightening tensions in the Middle East, a member of the Lebanese Shiite movement, Hezbollah, said on Wednesday.

Ali Fayad, who participated in Moscow’s International Security Conference on Wednesday, said the meeting provided the opportunity to recall Washington and Tel Aviv’s “violations of international laws”.

“The US and Israel, through their persistent policies, have escalated violations of international laws through not recognising the rights of the Palestinians and imposing economic sanctions,” Mr Fayad said in an interview with Russian media.

US President Donald Trump last month recognised Israel’s sovereignty over the capture of the Golan Heights from Syria in a 1967 war and annexed it.

The move followed Mr Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the Israeli capital, breaking decades of US policy over the status of the city contested by the Palestinians.

The conflict in the region has been a result of “foreign interventions which is seen in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and even Lebanon,” the official said.

Hezbollah's press office in Beirut confirmed the development to The National.

Mr Fayad met with Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow on the sidelines of the conference.

The two officials discussed “the current situation in Lebanon, including its socio-economic aspects, and the fact that there are more than a million Syrian refugees in the country,” a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Mr Fayad expressed his support towards the Russian initiative that aims to facilitate the return of Syrian refugees, the statement said.

“Russia has played a pivotal role in combating ISIS, and has a strategic position in the region,” Mr Fayad said.

The Hezbollah official also met with Iran’s defense minister, Brigadier General Amir Hatami, during the conference.

Among the participants was Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defence Minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, who vowed that the Kingdom will spare no efforts in combating terrorism in the region.

"We will support all efforts aimed at stabilising the region and the world," he said, adding that the Kingdom will combat all sources that finance terror and money laundering.

Prince Khalid blamed the Iranian regime for breaching international laws and igniting sectarianism.

Tehran is supporting terror groups such as the Houthis rebels in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon, the prince said.