Hariri Deplores Qatif Attack, Says It Serves Interests of 'Iran-backed Militias'

Al-Mustaqbal movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri on Friday condemned as “terrorist” the suicide bombing that rocked a Shiite mosque in the eastern Saudi region of Qatif, noting that it is aimed at “stirring sedition” and that it serves the interests of Yemen's Huthi rebels and other Iran-backed “militias.”

“The objectives of this criminal attack are obvious, because it is part of a vicious cycle seeking to stir sedition among the sons of the kingdom and to jeopardize its stability,” Hariri said in a statement.

He stressed that the kingdom's “stability will remain a distinctive mark of the marks of strength, unity and national coherence around the Saudi state and its leadership.”

“As we extend our warmest condolences to the families of the martyrs who fell in the terrorist bombing, we address to … King Salman bin Abdul Aziz -- in the name of all loyal Lebanese – our sincerest feelings of solidarity in the face of the challenges that the kingdom is facing,” Hariri added.

“We underscore our condemnation of any act that harms Saudi Arabia and its people and we declare our confidence in his leadership in the face of the threats,” the ex-PM went on to say.

He noted that “the sanctuary that Saudi Arabia represents in this period of the region's history has become a target for all those affected by its role and status, as it stands at the forefront of the fight against terror and sedition and as it confronts … Iran's scheme that aims to usurp the Arab decision.”

“The bombing that rocked the Qatif region directly serves the interest of those affected and intersects with the interest of the Huthi militias and the rest of militias that are subservient to Iran,” added Hariri.

Earlier on Friday, Hizbullah held Saudi authorities “responsible” for the bombing, accusing Riyadh of “negligence” and “incitement.”

It accused the kingdom of practicing “the ugliest forms of sectarian and racist incitement” against the Shiites of the Eastern Province.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the deadly attack later on Friday.

A war of words has recently escalated between the Shiite Lebanese party and majority-Sunni Saudi Arabia and its Lebanese allies over the kingdom's military intervention in Yemen.

Twenty-one people were killed in Friday's bombing and 102 others were wounded, according to Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television.

Oil-rich Eastern Province is home to most of Saudi Arabia's minority Shiite community which has long complained of marginalization in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.

Y.R.