Hezbollah says Saudi 'imposed' Lebanon PM's resignation

Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement, said on Sunday the previous day's resignation of the country's premier Saad Hariri had been "imposed" by Saudi Arabia.

"It is clear that the resignation was a Saudi decision that was imposed on Prime Minister Hariri. It was not his intention, not his wish and not his decision" to quit, Nasrallah said in a televised address.

Hariri, a protege of Riyadh, on Saturday announced his surprise resignation in a broadcast from the Saudi capital.

He cited the "grip" of Hezbollah ally Iran on the country, and also said he feared for his life.

"We did not seek this resignation," said Nasrallah, whose powerful movement has participated in Hariri's government for almost a year.

The Hezbollah chief did not directly address the accusations levelled by what he called Hariri's "very hard" speech, saying only that these were "a matter for Saudi Arabia".

Hariri, a two-time premier whose father Rafik held the same position for years and was assassinated in 2005, accused both Iran and Hezbollah of seeking hegemony in the region.

Nasrallah questioned the timing of Hariri's announcement at a time when "things are proceeding normally... in the heart of government" in Lebanon.