Hamas and Hezbollah dismiss rumours of Beirut office closure

A former Hezbollah MP has denied rumours suggesting that the Lebanese organisation has told Hamas representatives to close their Beirut office and leave the country. Hassan Hub-Allah stressed that the claims reflect Israel’s desire to create a rift between the resistance movements.

Speaking about the different approaches by Hamas and Hezbollah towards Syria, he explained that there are different points of view held by brothers about the crisis. “However, that does not affect the relationship among the resistance factions,” Hub-Allah insisted. “What brings us together, in terms of our hostility towards the Zionist entity, is greater than a dispute over the character of the situation in Syria or anywhere else.”

The senior Hamas representative in Lebanon, Ali Baraka, also denied the rumours. “This ‘news’ was announced on various websites, whose affiliations are well-known, in an attempt to divide Hamas from the Lebanese resistance movement.”

Although Hamas has a natural presence in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, the movement has no offices anywhere else except in the Hezbollah stronghold of the southern suburbs of Beirut; the office still operates normally.

No further explanations about the rumours were forthcoming from either Hamas or Hezbollah, “as talking about the issue only serves the interests of the Israelis”.