Hezbollah accuses Morocco of bowing to US pressure

Hezbollah has accused Morocco of caving into pressure from the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia after it cut ties with Iran.

On Tuesday, Morocco cut diplomatic ties with Iran over its alleged funding of the separatist Polisario Front, a Western Sahara movement.

The government in Rabat accused Tehran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah of funding, training and arming fighters from the Polisario movement via Tehran’s embassy in Algeria.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita claimed that Rabat had obtained “verified proof” that Hezbollah had provided training and financial support to the Polisario Front since 2016 and had sent weaponry to the group last month, including surface-to-air SAM9, SAM11 and Strela missiles.

Hezbollah: US offered assistance in return for ceding resistance

Hezbollah has since rejected the allegations asserting that “the Moroccan foreign ministry could have found more convincing pretext to cut its ties with Iran instead of fabricating baseless excuses.”

“The baseless allegation by Morocco foreign ministry have been made under the pressure of the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Hezbollah added.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi has also firmly refuted Morocco’s allegations of ties between Tehran and the Polisario Front.

“We need to clearly emphasise once again that one of the most fundamental principles of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy in its relations with other governments and countries in the world has been and will continue to be deep respect for their sovereignty and security as well as non-interference in the domestic affairs of other states.”