Hezbollah TV vows to stay on air after satellite transmission stops

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV station vows to continue broadcasting after it was abruptly dropped by one of the Middle East’s main satellite operators.

The move by Saudi Arabia-hosted ArabSat against Al-Manar TV earlier this month reflects the rising tension between Shiite Muslim Hezbollah and its main backer Iran with Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia. The two back opposing sides in the wars in Yemen and Syria.

Al-Manar’s General Manager Ibrahim Farhat tells scores of politicians, journalists and other figures attending a gathering in support of the station that Al-Manar “will not be silenced by any arbitrary or unjust decision no matter who issues it.”

The move against Al-Manar comes a month after ArabSat stopped broadcasting the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen TV that is seen by many as pro-Iranian.

— AP