BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group said Wednesday that Israel’s strike on Qatar is a warning to oil-rich Gulf countries that they would not be spared in the future if militant groups in the region are defeated.
Naim Kassem’s comments came a day after Israel struck the Palestinian Hamas militant group’s political leadership in the capital of Qatar, whose government has been a key mediator in the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli airstrikes did not kill Hamas leaders, but five lower-ranking members and a Qatari security officer lost their lives in the strikes.
“We are on the side of Qatar that was subjected to an aggression and we also stand with the Palestinian resistance,” Kassem said. He added that the Israeli strike is part of its attempts to create a “Greater Israel” in large parts of the Middle East.
Kassem’s comments came days after the Lebanese government approved a military proposal to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah, which suffered significant damage in its own 14-month war with Israel that ended in November with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire.
Kassem said the reason Israel has not been able to achieve its expansionist goals is the presence of militant groups in Lebanon, Gaza and other parts of the Middle East. He added that oil-rich Gulf countries should back militant groups in the region financially, politically and socially.
