Press TV - The secretary general of Hezbollah has roundly dismissed claims that the Lebanese resistance movement is exerting control over the Beirut government, emphasizing that such lies are aimed at inciting public opinion and plunging Lebanon into turmoil.

“In Lebanon, some people try to portray Hezbollah as the leader of the country and in control of all state institutions. I tell you this is the biggest lie in the history of Lebanon,” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stated in a televised speech broadcast live from the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Friday evening.

He warned that those making such unsubstantiated claims are actually giving the Saudi and Israeli regimes, among other enemies, the chance to hatch and advance their plots against Lebanon.

“They know they are lying and their aim is to hold Hezbollah accountable for the current economic situation,” Nasrallah pointed out.

“Hezbollah has never sought to create parliamentary obstruction…Hezbollah has never hid behind anyone or any media outlet. It has long stood up against cowards,” he said.

The Hezbollah chief then expressed regret over the Lebanese government’s recent crackdown on businesses hiring Palestinian workers without permits, arguing that the issue has been “politicized.”

“Concerning the employment of foreign citizens in Lebanon, we have always stated that Palestinians are different from foreign workers as the latter have home countries to return to, but Palestinians don’t. Palestine is under occupation (of the Israeli regime) indeed,” Nasrallah said.

The Hezbollah secretary-general then called on Lebanese political factions to look at the issue of Palestinian refugees working in the country from a humanitarian perspective.

Nasrallah also condemned the recent demolition of a cluster of Palestinian homes on the edge of occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds, which has sparked international criticism.

He said Israel’s demolition of about 70 homes in 10 apartment buildings in Sur Bahir neighborhood on Monday was in line with US President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal for “peace” between the Israeli regime and Palestinians, dubbed “the deal of the century.”