Mustaqbal Strongly Condemns Khazali's Border 'Bravado'

Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday condemned “in the strongest terms” a recent visit by an Iraqi militia chief to the Lebanese-Israeli border.

“The bloc condemns in the strongest terms the bravado of the leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, Qais al-Khazali, in the UNIFIL Area of Operations in south Lebanon,” Mustaqbal said in a statement issued after its weekly meeting, which was chaired by Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

“In this regard, the bloc backs PM Saad Hariri's decision to ban the leader of that militia from entering Lebanon as well as his order to the relevant authorities to probe the circumstances of this show of force which appeared in a video filmed in south Lebanon,” the bloc added, reiterating its rejection of “any attempt to use Lebanon as an arena for foreign agendas.”

Khazali's tour was organized by Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizbullah.

"We declare our full readiness to stand united with the Lebanese people and the Palestinian cause in the face of the Israeli occupation," Khazali can be heard saying in a video that began circulating on social media on Friday.

Asaib Ahl al-Haq is an Iran-backed group that is one of the main components of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitary force.

Hizbullah's regional interventions have been a source of tension in Lebanon, and were cited by Hariri when he announced last month that he was resigning.

He later withdrew his resignation after talks that saw Lebanon's government issue a statement reasserting a policy of non-interference in regional conflicts.