icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
19 Nov, 2013 15:56

Beirut bombings are ‘a clear message by Saudi Arabia’

Beirut bombings are ‘a clear message by Saudi Arabia’

The blasts near the Iranian embassy in Beirut are a clear message by Saudi Arabia to Iran, as by targeting Iran it wants to spread chaos and war also inside Lebanon, political analyst Kevork Elmassian told RT.

RT:We know that a Lebanese group linked to Al-Qaeda has reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack. From your point of view, what would be their motive there?

Kevork Elmassian: The group is called Abdullah Azzam and it is affiliated to Al-Qaeda. This is a clear message by Saudi Arabia or it’s an act of war by Saudi Arabia against Iran, this is for the first time the Saudis are crossing the red line by targeting the Iranian Embassy in Beirut. I don’t agree with the Iranian Ambassador who pointed his finger to the Israelis. It’s true that the Israelis are beneficiaries of these explosions but who perpetrated these attacks? They are Al-Qaeda linked groups; their emir is Bandar “bin-Satan” [bin-Sultan] in Saudi Arabia.

We have to know that these explosions happened with two suicide bombers. The Israelis never do such operations, they can use their airplanes and other car bombs. But there were two people, one of them was on motorcycle, he came close to the embassy and tried to explode himself in order to open a route for the other car entering to the embassy, but the security was awake and they shot him. He was forced to explode himself outside the embassy. But in politics we have to understand that this message from Saudi Arabia has come after the war of the Al-Qalamoun mountains. We have to know that Hezbollah and the Syrian army are fighting side by side against Al-Qaeda groups in Syria and recently in Al-Qara area, this area links with Arsal area in Lebanon, where the thousands of militants from Al-Qaeda  under the patronage of the Future Movement of Lebanon are having trainings and also smuggling arms into Syria. Also, this area links Homs to Damascus, it is in the center of Homs and Damascus, and most of the terrorists who are coming to the eastern Ghouta area in Damascus, the place where the chemical attack happened, are coming from this area.

RT:Why do you link Saudi Arabia to this case?

KE: Because the militants of the proxies of Saudi Arabia exist in the center between Damascus and Homs and they are spreading all this chaos and terrorism around the cities of Homs and Damascus. Most of the car bombs are coming from this area. When Hezbollah and Syrian army decided to crush the rebellion in this area, the Saudis wanted to send a very historical message to Iran. We have to remember the actions of Saudi Arabia in past few weeks: they refused the membership of the UN Security Council and then they said they were going to work to foil the peaceful negotiations in Geneva for peace in Syria. They are also trying to block any deal between the West and Iran. And the recent reports are saying that Saudi Arabia is going to buy a nuclear bomb from Pakistan, if a deal is reached between P5+1 and Iran. So these historical policies by Saudi Arabia are reflecting the desperation of Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, and by targeting now the embassy of Iran it wants to spread chaos and war also inside Lebanon.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

Podcasts
0:00
28:18
0:00
25:17