The Great Smoky Mountain Journal

Staff, Wire Reports

Posted: Sunday, January 21, 2018 07:27 PM

Hezbollah Slams US Declaration Of Jerusalem As Capital Of Israel

Lebanon's Hezbollah says the U.S. declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has closed all paths to negotiations, calling it a "treacherous and malicious aggression" against the rights of Palestinians.

Hassan Fadlallah, the spokesman for the militant group's parliamentary bloc, said Thursday that the U.S. announcement reaffirms that the only way to restore rights is through armed "resistance."

Lebanon is technically at war with Israel. Hezbollah attacks forced Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon in 2000, and the group went to war with Israel again in 2006.

Fadlallah said the decision is likely to have "catastrophic repercussions" on regional and international stability, urging Arabs and Muslims to move fast to respond.

He said President Donald Trump's decision "intentionally" bypassed the United Nations and international resolutions and was a "rude belittling of the Arab and Muslim worlds' people and states."