Pressure for Egyptās Nilesat to discontinue al-Manar (āThe Beaconā) television appears to have come from Iranās regional archrival, Saudi Arabia, which is leading an Arab campaign against Hezbollah ā and by extension, the regime in Tehran. The Sunni kingdom and Shiāite Iran are backing opposing sides in the civil wars in Syria and Yemen. Last month the Saudi-led drive saw Arab League foreign ministers declare Hezbollah a terrorist group, and several Gulf states have cracked down against its supporters and sympathizers. Tellingly, the Egyptian service provider dropped the Hezbollah mouthpiece just ahead of a planned visit to Egypt by Saudi King Salman.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, speaks to supporters during a rally in the Hezbollah stronghold of south Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanonās National News Agency reported that a Nilesat representative told the Lebanese telecommunications ministry that al-Manar had āviolated their agreement by airing programs that provoke sectarian strife and sedition.ā In a statement, Hezbollah slammed the decision āto mute the voice of the Resistanceā ā as it terms itself ā calling it āa flagrant violation to the freedom of opinion and expression.ā āAs we in Hezbollah condemn these unjust decisions taken against al-Manar TV, we urge the officials in the Egyptian organization to reverse them immediately,ā it said, adding that Egyptians were well aware that the moves āserve the āIsraeliā goals and demands.ā
Hezbollah said the decision would not succeed in suppressing its voice, vowing to find ways around the measure. Al-Manar then said on its website its programs could still be accessed, via Russian and Indonesian satellites. The channelās general director, Ibrahim Farhat, said it would challenge Nilesatās decision, āin order to keep its communication with its faithful audience in the Arab and Islamic countries,ā al-Manar reported.
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