Hizbullah: New Lebanese Leader Must Support It Against Israel

Hizbullah’s deputy chief said on Sunday that Lebanon’s problems in electing a new president are the result of American interference and that the new leader must support Hizbullah’s fight against Israel. Sheikh Naim Kassem said in a south Beirut speech that the new Lebanese president must be someone who "believes in national participation and in the right to defend one’s land and protect its people." According to Kassem, a new president would already have been selected except for American meddling. He said: “American interference, through which they tried to dictate conditions, is what blocked the consensus and kept the elections from being held on time.”