In a significant move, the Syrian ambassador to London, in an interview with the BBC, called on Hizbullah to stop firing missiles at Israel.
“Syria is not interested in joining the battle,” the ambassador said. He also asked Hizbullah to come to an arrangement that would include exchanging prisoners.
Saudi Arabia, the Arab world’s political heavyweight and economic powerhouse, also caught international attention by accusing Hizbullah guerrillas – without naming them – of “uncalculated adventures” that could precipitate a new Middle East crisis.
A Saudi official quoted by the state Saudi Press Agency said the Lebanese Hizbullah’s brazen capture of two Israeli soldiers was not legitimate.
The kingdom “clearly announces that there has to be a differentiation between legitimate resistance (to Israel) and uncalculated adventures.”
The Saudi official said Hizbullah’s actions could lead to “an extremely serious situation which could subject all Arab nations and its achievements to destruction.”
“The kingdom sees that it is time for those elements to alone shoulder the full responsibility for this irresponsible behavior and that the burden of ending the crisis falls on them alone.”
Saudi Arabia’s comments on the crisis came after most moderate Arab governments reacted with relative restraint to Israel’s offensive in Lebanon, condemning attacks on civilians and infrastructure but also implicitly criticizing Hizbullah.