Egyptian Sources Respond to Nasrallah”s Address
Following Friday”s televised address by Hizbullah”s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in which he responded to Egyptian charges made against him and the party of giving his green light to assassination attacks in his January speech on the occasion of Ashoura.
"Nasrallah”s confession and the language he used indicate that Hizbullah wants to merge Egypt and the region with the Lebanese resistance with the Palestinians under complex international circumstances, only to benefit Iranian interests that seek to occupy the world , while diligently working on their nuclear program." An Informed Egyptian source told the daily Asharq al-Awsat on Saturday.
The source added that Nasrallah wishes to "drag Egypt into this situation. He allowed his elements to enter [Egypt] for devious purposes, wanting to turn Egypt into a playground like Lebanon.[Egypt] is not a playground for others to play at."
The Director of the al-Ahram Center for Strategic and Political Studies Dr. Abdel Mone”m Saeed described the televised speech as "rude", adding the the Hizbullah leader "should pay for what he says and does, his responsibility over the Palestinians and Gaza does not exceed that of Egypt."
Saeed described the presence of the main defendant in the case Sami Shehab as curious adding: "[Nasrallah”s] confession that the main defendant in the case is a Hizbullah party member means that the party wanted to target the Suez Canal. This means he has a cell in Egypt under the guise of struggling [against Israel] and not an intervention in Egyptian internal affairs. He wanted to strike against U.S. ships passing through the canal, or strike against Jews in Egypt and adds that this is only a struggle and not an intervention into Egyptian affairs."
"If this is not an intervention then what is?" asked Saeed.
He accused Nasrallah of working with the Iranian [regime] to isolate Egypt. Saeed said that the Egyptian government is working on building a Palestinian government of consensus that would open all crossings adding, "Egypt won”t allow chaos on the Rafah crossing [into Egypt]."
In another development, the “Egyptian Front For the Defense of Arab Dignity” submitted a request to Egypt”s Public Prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud calling for placing an international arrest warrant by Interpol against Nasrallah for "intervening in the country”s internal affairs and endangering the lives of Egyptians."
"This request is made because [Nasrallah] is the one behind the formation of a group that sought to topple Egypt”s regime, practice terrorism and conspire against Egyptians," Front leader Samir Shishtawi said.