July 24, 2010 - Now Lebanon - Syria intervened to defuse political tension after Nasrallah speech

Syria intervened to defuse political tension in Lebanon following Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s speech last week, Al-Hayat newspaper reported on Saturday, quoting a well-informed Lebanese source.

Last Friday Nasrallah called the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) an “Israeli project” designed to incite sectarian strife in the country. His remarks drew a round of criticism, largely from March 14 MPs and politicians.

The paper quoted the unnamed source as saying that Prime Minister Saad Hariri returned from his visit to Syria last Monday with a message to avoid political tension.

“Damascus did not intervene directly with its allied political parties, but it sent signals to most local factions, including Hezbollah,” the source said.