National crisis puts Lebanon's survival at stake, Hezbollah leader says

Hassan Nasrallah said supporting the Hezbollah-backed government was a national duty

Supporters of Hezbollah hold photos of slain Iranian general Qassem Suleimani as they listen to a televised speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut. EPA

A giant cutout of Qassem Suleimani set up in the Garden of Iran park built by the Iranian government in the southern Lebanese village of Maroun Al Ras near the border with Israel. AFP

A view of a giant cutout depicting Iran's late top general Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad airport on January 3, 2020. AFP

A Hezbollah supporter holds pictures of Qassem Suleimani during a ceremony marking the the end of a 40-day Muslim mourning period for the Iranian general and the anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah leaders Abbas Al Moussawi, Ragheb Harb and Imad Mughniyeh. AP Photo

Hezbollah supporters hold pictures of Qassem Suleimani in the southern suburb of Beirut. AP Photo

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah addresses supporters via a video link. EPA

A Hezbollah supporter holds a photo of Qassem Suleimani during a rally to mark the group's Martyrs Day. EPA

Supporters of Hezbollah hold photos of Hassan Nasrallah and Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei in southern Beirut. EPA

An screen grab from Hezbollah's Al Manar TV shows Hassan Nasrallah delivering a televised address from an undisclosed location in Lebanon. AFP

Hezbollah supporters wave the group's flag as they listen to Hassan Nasrallah speak. AP Photo

Hezbollah supporters sing the Lebanese and Hezbollah anthems during a ceremony marking the deaths of slain commanders and the Iranian general Qassem Suleimani in the southern suburb of Beirut. AP Photo

Lebanon may not survive if its new government fails, the leader of Hezbollah warned on Sunday, urging the country's divided politicians not to obstruct the Cabinet that was backed by the Iran-aligned militant group.

Hassan Nasrallah also said there was no point in politicians trading blame over the causes of the crisis, after former prime minister Saad Hariri on Friday accused his rivals of pushing the country to near-collapse.

Banks are curtailing access to deposits, the Lebanese pound has slumped, inflation has soared and companies are shedding jobs and slashing wages in a financial crisis.

Mr Hariri resigned last year amid mass demonstrations against the ruling class.

Lebanon’s public debt was $89.5 billion (Dh328bn) as of November, most of it held by the Lebanese banks.

The country is due to pay $1.2bn in March when a Eurobond matures, followed by another $700 million in April and $600m in June.

Hezbollah is one of the main backers of Prime Minister Hassan Diab's Cabinet, which was formed last month after the failure to establish a new national unity Cabinet led by Mr Hariri.

The new government received a vote of confidence last week while protests continued to rage on the streets of Beirut.

Mr Nasrallah said supporting the government was a "national duty".

"This is not a party matter," he said. "If this government fails, it is not known whether a country will remain for someone to ride in on a white horse and form a new government."

Analysts say Hezbollah's role in forming the Cabinet could make it harder for Mr Diab to secure badly needed financial support from western and Arabian Gulf states that are alarmed by the Tehran-backed group's influence.

Mr Nasrallah said that while Hezbollah backed the Cabinet, it was not "Hezbollah's government", and that opponents who described it as such were making it more difficult to combat the crisis and damaging Lebanon's international ties.

Lebanon last week asked the International Monetary Fund for technical assistance on dealing with the economic crisis.

Speaking in Dubai, IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva said Lebanon needed urgent and deep structural reforms.

"We are sending a small team to Lebanon," Ms Georgieva said. "We’ll do our best to give a diagnostics recommendation on measures to take but the taking is in the hands of Lebanon."