BEIRUT, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Monday rejected the accusation by Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah that Saudi Arabia supports the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.
"These remarks do not represent the Lebanese government and people. It is not in Lebanon's interest to offend any Arab country, especially the Gulf states," Mikati said in a statement.
"We call on Hezbollah to be part of the diverse Lebanese society and to have a Lebanese affiliation, as its leadership contradicts this concept with stances that harm the Lebanese and Lebanon's relations with its brotherly countries," he added.
Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist party that dominates the parliament in Lebanon.
In an earlier televised speech, Nasrallah called Saudi Arabia a "tool" being used by the United States in Yemen's war, accusing the kingdom of supporting the IS in Syria.
