Lebanese Minister of Information: The War on Yemen Has Become Futile
Saudi Arabian anger after Lebanese Minister of Information George Kordahi defended the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement.
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Kordahi emphasized that his statement about "the war on Yemen becoming futile" was spoken with conviction.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Kordahi affirmed that he will not apologize since he has not offended or attacked anyone, and reassured that he is against the futile war on Yemen.
This comes after Kordahi sparked international and local outrage after he expressed on a television show that the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement "has been defending itself in the face of external aggression against Yemen for years."
During the show, Kordahi detailed that "there is no comparison between Hezbollah's effort to liberate Lebanese land and Ansar Allah's defense in the face of external aggression by Saudi Arabia and the UAE."
With that statement going viral on social media, Lebanese media outlets claimed, according to what they called "Saudi sources," that Lebanon is facing a severe diplomatic crisis because of Kordahi's statements.
For his part, the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Nayef Falah Mubarak al-Hajraf, expressed his complete rejection of Kordahi's statements about the Yemeni war and called on him to apologize.
Responding to the wave of criticism he received yesterday, the Lebanese minister stated on Wednesday that "it is not permissible in Lebanon to remain subject to blackmail from countries, ambassadors, or individuals."
He also accused "those who defend freedom of opinion and media" of launching a campaign of baseless accusations against him.
On Tuesday, Minister Kordahi explained through a thread of tweets, that this TV appearance was on August 5, a month before he was appointed as minister in Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government.
He affirmed that "the parties behind this accusation campaign have become known," and they have accused him of "suppressing media" since the formation of the Lebanese government.
The Lebanese Minister of Information emphasized that his statement about "the war on Yemen is becoming futile and must stop" was spoken with conviction.
