Israel ‘shocked’ as UN official meets senior Hezbollah leader

Israel slams the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis after he tweeted praise for a senior Hezbollah leader, who he had meet recently in Beirut.

“We are shocked and disappointed by this meeting with a designated terror organization’s leader, threatening Israel, Lebanon and the whole region,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon tweets. “One doesn’t need to read the Naim Qassem book, courtesy of Hezbollah terrorists, in order to understand this!!”

Yesterday, Kubis tweeted: “Grateful for an open and substantive discussion on a broad range of topics with Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem of Hizbullah. On top I received a copy of his book – a necessary reading.”

Naim Qassem is a senior member of the Lebanese movement that is widely recognized as a terrorist organization. Qassem is on the record threatening Israel with annihilation.

Responding to a Times of Israel query, the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon says it “works with the government of Lebanon and with political and social forces and institutions of Lebanon, notably those elected to the Parliament, including Hizbullah encouraging them to work for the well-being of the country and its people, for peace, security and stability of Lebanon and the region.”

— Raphael Ahren