Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi indirectly criticized on Tuesday Hezbollah for hosting a Bahraini group that Manama has designated as a sponsor of terrorism.
The Iran-backed party's move defied the Lebanese authorities' order to ban the event, which was initially going to be held at a hotel, because it harms Beirut's ties with Arab countries,
The al-Saha hotel had complied with the authorities' request to turn down hosting the event, so the organizers moved it to the "Risalat" theater hall that is owned by Hezbollah and that is located in the party's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburbs.
In remarks on Tuesday, Mawlawi said: "Some sides have not ceased to undermine official efforts the state is carrying out to mend relations with fraternal Arab countries, in light of the constructive Arab initiative that was relayed to us by Kuwait's foreign minister."
The FM had said that the "initiative is based on our constitution that clearly stipulates that Lebanon's identity is Arab and that it belongs to the Arab fold and that it must respect international resolution" continued Mawlawi.
"We are Arab and we will remain Arab. We are Lebanese and we will remain Lebanese," he declared.
"How can we possibly achieve the interests of a nation, which has boasted of its championing of its brothers, when provocative seminars and conferences" are being held on its soil, he wondered.
The Lebanese Forces also condemned Hezbollah for hosting the event.
It said: "Hezbollah has insisted on hosting the seminar for the Bahrain opposition in spite of the interior minister's ban."
"This demonstrates that Hezbollah has total disregard to Lebanon and the Lebanese people and it is futilely trying to mislead some Lebanese people that it supports the state," it added.
"The reality is that it wants all state institutions to be in service of its goals," it noted.
"When its interests clash with those of the Lebanese state and people, it naturally seeks out the interest of the axis it belongs to," continued the LF in a statement.
"How is it in the Lebanese people's interest for such an event to be hosted in spite of the will of the state?" it asked, deeming the development a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty and clear offense to its foreign relations, specifically with the Gulf.
The event was held as Lebanon is going through an unprecedented collapse, and its people are struggling to fend off poverty and hunger, while Hezbollah is prioritizing helping Iran in its regional policy, it noted.
The event was held days after it was revealed that members of the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen had taken part in an event organized by Hezbollah in the Bekaa region in eastern Lebanon.
A leading member of the Houthis had even delivered a speech at the event, as shown in a television report aired on a station affiliated with the militias.
The development sparked condemnations and raised questions over how the Houthis took part in the event.
