Hariri says Syrian regime still threatens his life

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said on Thursday that the Syrian regime still wants him dead. He made his comments in Paris, where he went on Wednesday for a family visit.

“Threats always exist,” Hariri told Paris Match. “I have many enemies, including extremists and the Syrian regime. The latter has issued a death sentence against me.”

The Lebanese official accuses the Syrian regime of assassinating his father in a massive car bomb in Beirut in 2005. Last month, Hariri resigned his position while in Riyadh; he made the announcement during a televised speech, citing threats to his life.

The Lebanese Hezbollah, a member of Hariri’s government, has been involved in the conflict in Syria alongside the regime’s forces since 2013. He has consistently rejected the movement’s military involvement in the Syrian war.

Hariri: Lebanon cannot do anything about Hezbollah

“I wanted the world to understand that Lebanon can no longer tolerate the interferences of a party like Hezbollah in the affairs of the Gulf countries, where 300,000 Lebanese live,” he explained to the French magazine. “They are very important to our economy. We must not pay for the actions of Hezbollah.”

Hariri said that he fears that Hezbollah’s “interference” abroad will end up costing Lebanon dearly. “I will not accept that a Lebanese political party participates in manoeuvres that serve the interests of Iran,” he added.

Prime Minister Hariri said that he will withdraw his resignation on condition that Hezbollah’s intervention in regional conflicts is ended.