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In a November 5, 2021 interview on MBC 1 (Saudi Arabia), Lebanese journalist Tony Abi Najem called on the Arab countries to oppose Hizbullah and the influence of Iran in Lebanon and the region. Abi Najem said that Iran has been using Hizbullah to advance a "Persian plan" to bring chaos and destruction to the Arab world, and stressed that there can be no peace as long as Hizbullah controls Lebanon. He also said that a joint front of Arab countries would be able to confront Hizbullah and pressure it to disarm in accordance with U.N. Security Council resolutions. In a reference to recent tensions between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon, Abi Najem urged Saudi Arabia not to withdraw from Lebanon because many people in Lebanon are Saudi Arabia's allies and need its support. For more information about Tony Abi Najem, see MEMRI TV clip no. 9002.
Tony Abi Najem: "We in Lebanon have been abandoned a while ago, I'm sad to say. The biggest problem was some Arab countries' mistaken view of the Lebanese crisis. Their premise was that as long as Hizbullah operates [only] in Lebanon we should let the Lebanese figure this out by themselves. At the same time, Iran's perspective was different. For Iran, the birth of Hizbullah, its training, and its armament, was in order to turn it into a spearhead in their plan to export the Revolution. In fact, this is a plan to export chaos and destruction.
"Therefore, all this time that Hizbullah was allowed to grow stronger, it maintained relations even with Saudi Arabia, and some Arab countries facilitated its activities. It was like breeding a wild breast inside the Arab home. Eventually, the Arab countries woke up once they felt that Hizbullah started to threaten their interests directly – whether in Syria, in Iraq, or in the war in Yemen.
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"So the [Arabs'] relaxed approach of the past, and their refraining from engaging in an international lobbying campaign in order to force the implementation of U.N. Resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701, which clearly state that the militias and first and foremost Hizbullah, must disarm... The fact that there is no pressure to implement these international resolutions has turned Lebanon into a hostage, into a country occupied by Hizbullah.
"We need people in the Arab world to exert external pressure on the superpowers, in the Security Council and anywhere else, in order to secure the implementation of the U.N. resolutions regarding Lebanon.
"It is futile to expect peace in any Arab country as long as Hizbullah has a hold on Lebanon, because it constitutes Iran's backyard in the region. As long as [Hizbullah] is comfortable here in Lebanon, there will be no security in any Arab country.
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"We need support for the Lebanese who oppose Hizbullah, so that they can persevere and continue to operate. There are several ways this can be done – there isn't only one way. Saudi Arabia and the Arab axis still have major allies in Lebanon, like the Lebanese Forces, the Lebanese Opposition Front, the Phalanges, and others, but they all suffer from the financial and economic situation, and because foreign powers gave up on them.
"In addition, they need help in applying pressure on the international community, so it doesn't abandon Lebanon to the mercy of Hizbullah. There also needs to be pressure on France specifically, because it is trying to implement the agenda of Hizbullah and Iran in Lebanon in order to reap profits in contracts with Iraq and possibly Iran, in the future. Many things can be done, but this will not be achieved if Saudi Arabia completely withdraws from Lebanon.
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"Hizbullah is not only murdering Lebanese people, it has become an influential and destructive power in all Arab countries. What we need is a joint front to stop this plan, to confront the Persian enterprise, and to stop the situation from continuing this way and moving towards all-out chaos."
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