Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday rejected as “baseless” the claim by Israel's Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon that the terrorist organization uses the Beirut port to transfer weapons.
"I strongly deny everything that the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations said," said Nasrallah.
"His comments were made to prepare the groundwork for a takeover of the ports and the airport and achieve what they were unable to during the Second Lebanon War," he claimed.
Danon earlier this week revealed intelligence information about Iran's involvement in Hezbollah's buildup in Lebanon, with help from Syria, a direct violation of UN Resolution 1701.
The Israeli ambassador said that Hezbollah regularly uses civilian centers in Lebanon to illegally transport arms, in flagrant violation of Security Council Resolution 1701.
Danon presented the Security Council with a map of various weapons transfer routes to Hezbollah for it to arm itself against Israel: from Damascus airport to Beirut's Hariri airport; the official border crossings between Syria and Lebanon, such as the Masnaa crossings; and, as mentioned above, the Port of Beirut.
In his remarks on Friday, Nasrallah also discussed the crackdown on so-called “Palestinian refugees” in Lebanon, where authorities have been taking steps against companies and businesses that employ foreign workers illegally, including “Palestinian refugees”.
"There is a difference between the work of Palestinians and the other foreigners, because the Palestinians are under occupation and cannot return to their country," he said.
"Some people conclude that Hezbollah and Hamas are behind the Palestinian demonstrations related to work in Lebanon, but this is shameful, immoral, and untrue. The employment of the Palestinians must be on a moral and human basis,” continued Nasrallah.
The Hezbollah leader condemned Israel’s demolition of illegal Palestinian Arab homes in Jerusalem at the beginning of the week and said, "This is preparation for the ‘Deal of the Century.’"
Finally, he praised Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ decision to stop implementing the agreements with Israel, saying, "Israel is afraid of the cessation of coordination. The PA has weapons and they can use them."
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)