Pro-Hizballah newspaper declares 'Death to America' in Trump backlash

Lebanon's pro-Hizballah newspaper Al-Akhbar delcared 'Death to America' on its front page on Thursday as world anger mounted against Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

MENA

1 min read

The New Arab

07 December, 2017

Hizballah-affiliated Al-Akhbar displayed one of the strongest reactions to Trump's decision [Getty/Twitter]

A pro-Hizballah newspaper in Lebanon declared "Death to America" on its front page on Thursday in a vociferous reaction to Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

Al-Akhbar's splash featured a picture of a burning US flag, printed the day after the US president declared his support for the disputed Holy City to be recognised as Israeli, defying decades of US policy and the warnings of Arab leaders and world allies alike.

Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Iran-backed Hizballah movement, is expected to deliver the group's first reaction to Trump's move in a televised address at 6pm. (4pm GMT) on Thursday.

Akhbar called Trump's decision "America's new Balfour", referring to the Balfour Declaration in which Britain endorsed the establishment of a Jewish homeland in the Middle East a century ago.

"Today in Palestine there is a capable, empowered resistance that owns thousands of rockets that can strike Tel Aviv," its report said.

Hizballah, a heavily-armed military and political organisation, has fought numerous conflicts with Israel since it was formed in 1982.

It is a member of Lebanon's coalition government, and its armed wing has long been seen as more powerful than the country's security forces.

Twitter Post