Following Iran’s angry abuse over the
execution Saturday of the prominent Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, the Saudi
foreign minister announced Sunday that Riyadh had severed relations with
Tehran. Riyadh asked Iran’s diplomatic mission and “related entities” to depart
the kingdom within 48 hours. The minister said his government is determined not
to allow Iran to undermine Saudi security. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei said Sunday that the dead cleric was a martyr and warned the
Saudis they would face “divine revenge.” Saudi Arabia evacuated its
diplomats from Tehran, Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV reports after demonstrators
stormed and set fire to its Tehran embassy Saturday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr, who was executed in Saudi Arabia along with 46 others for terrorism offences, a “martyr” and warned he Saudis they would face “divine revenge.” Protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran late Saturday, set fire to the building and damaged property before they were driven back by the police. Khamenei said the cleric had been executed unfairly for criticizing Saudi Arabia’s Sunni rulers and denied he was involved in covert plots or armed movements.
Rage over the execution has spread among Shiite communities in the Middle East. As demonstrations against the execution started in the Lebanese capital, the Saudi embassy in Beirut boosted its security and instructed its staff not to leave the compound.
Rage over the execution has spread among Shiite communities in the Middle East. As demonstrations against the execution started in the Lebanese capital, the Saudi embassy in Beirut boosted its security and instructed its staff not to leave the compound.
In a televised speech on
Sunday, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, pictured below, lashed out at Saudi Arabia and its
royal family over the execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr and 46 other
Shiites the previous day. He called the execution an "alarming
event", saying "the House of Saud might have taken what it did
lightly but it is not an incident that can go unnoticed." Nasrallah also
issued a blistering condemnation of the royal family and challenged its
legitimacy, claiming "The House of Saud imposed itself on the Arabian
Peninsula's people through massacres, murder and intimidation and the kingdom
was created with British support and funding as part of a colonial
scheme."
Repeating his threat to retaliate against
Israel for the recent assassination of arch-terrorist Samir Quntar, Hizbollah
leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on Sunday that "the power of
Samir Quntar's blood is still forcing the soldiers and the officers of the
enemy to hide in tunnels along the entire length of the border. They're waiting
and we're waiting. They're scared."
New Egyptian ambassador Hazem Khairat, pictured above, has
arrived in Israel to take up the post that was vacant for three years since the
last envoy was withdrawn in protest over Israel's anti-terror
operation in the Gaza Strip. Khairat previously represented his country at
the Arab League, in Syria and in Chile.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed the ambassador at the Sunday cabinet meeting. His arrival is another sign of the warming ties between Israel and Egypt since President Abdel Fatteh Al-Sisi assumed power.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu welcomed the ambassador at the Sunday cabinet meeting. His arrival is another sign of the warming ties between Israel and Egypt since President Abdel Fatteh Al-Sisi assumed power.
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