Saudi sources say kingdom takes Hezbollah’s threats seriously
Saudi Arabia has been taking the threats made by Hezbollah international relations official Nawaf al-Moussawi seriously, according to Elaph, a Saudi-run website.
The site quoted sources as saying that Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Lebanon Abdel Aziz Khoja had received what could only be interpreted as an explicit death threat.
Earlier this month, Moussawi said Hezbollah would not allow Khoja to find an escape route by sea next time, in a clear reference to Khoja’s sea evacuation to Cyprus during the May clashes.
The source also drew attention to the fact that Khoja had to leave Beirut by sea at a time when Iranian planes were seen landing in Rafik Hariri International Airport, which was under the control of Hezbollah.
The source also told Elaph that the Saudi Ambassador had not given much importance to Former Minister Wiam Wahhab’s statements against Saudi Arabia last Friday, whom Hezbollah considered as its “political platforms,” according to Elaph.
The source also mentioned that Lebanese President Michel Sleiman contacted Khoja to apologize for Wahhab’s statements against Saudi Arabia.
Contrary to rumors initiated by Hezbollah, the source said, the Saudi Arabian embassy in Beirut would not close its doors.
The source noted that Hezbollah fit international descriptions of terrorist organizations, adding that whoever did not refrain from attacking an embassy would have no scruples about assassinating an ambassador.
Elaph quoted the source as emphasizing that Saudi Arabia would not cease its assistance to Lebanon, adding that Lebanon would not become “an Iranian protectorate in the region.”