Lebanese leaders hit back at Syria over war

LEBANON: Anti-Syrian Lebanese leaders accused Syria of trying to exploit the war between Hizbollah and Israel for its own gain after Damascus partly blamed them for the conflict.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Tuesday likened anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians who make up the majority in parliament to former leaders who concluded a 1983 peace deal with Israel that was never ratified. He blamed them for the 34-day war ended this week by a truce.

"Israel is responsible. But we also must add that those who are responsible are the ones who encouraged Israel to come to Lebanon, stood by it, and backed it," Assad said in a speech.

He said some Lebanese groups had a "pro-Israeli scheme".

The United States holds Hizbollah and its backers Syria and Iran responsible for the war, triggered on July 12 after Hizbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross border raid.

Saad al-Hariri, the leader of the anti-Syrian bloc in parliament, accused Damascus of seeking political gain from conflict in Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Iraq.

"The regime in Syria is trading in the blood of the children of Qana, the children of Gaza and the children of Baghdad," Hariri, son of assassinated former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri, told supporters in a speech.

At least 28 people were killed in an Israeli air raid on the Lebanese village of Qana during the war.

Hariri and his allies hold Syria responsible for the death of the former prime minister last year. International pressure, led by the United States and France, forced Syria to withdraw troops from Lebanon after the assassination.

Beirut, Friday, Reuters