Prince Faisal bin Farhan said there is no crisis with Lebanon but rather a crisis in the country due to the hegemony of Iran’s proxies, the Kingdom’s foreign minister told Al Arabiya on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

 

“The problem is even bigger. The problem in Lebanon is the continued Hezbollah dominance of the political system, and the continued inability of governments, political officials and political leaders in Lebanon to take a way out of this crisis and from this tunneled crisis,” he told Al Arabiya.

 

“The crisis there is not a crisis between us and Lebanon to some extent. There is a crisis in Lebanon with the dominance of Iran's proxies over the scene, and this is what concerns us, and this is what makes it useless to deal with Lebanon, and I do not think for the Gulf states and the task now is that the leaders in Lebanon wake up and seek a way out to bring Lebanon back to its place in the Arab world and this is available and they are able if God wills it,” Prince Faisal added.

 

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries expelled Lebanese envoys in a diplomatic spat that risks adding to Lebanon’s economic crisis, following critical comments about the Arab Coalition military intervention in Yemen by Lebanon’s Information Minister George Kordahi.

 

On Yemen, Prince Faisal said the Kingdom is committed to its initiative on bringing a comprehensive ceasefire and then a political dialogue, but said the Iran-backed Houthi militia posed a roadblock toward achieving a lasting peace deal.

 

“The Kingdom is committed to what it has put forward. We want to reach a comprehensive cease-fire immediately and then move on to political dialogue. Unfortunately, the Houthis are still relying on a military solution. The Houthis are still showing or presenting their narrow interests and those of regional parties' over Yemen's interest,” he said.

The foreign minister also spoke during his interview with Al Arabiya’s Hussein Kneiber on the Kingdom’s policies regarding the Palestinian conflict.

 

“It has never changed. What is important now is the return of talks between the Palestinians and Israel to see a realistic and real path to the achievement of comprehensive peace, including a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Without this, we will not have real stability in the region. This is our priority now,” he said.