BEIRUT, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that the United States is responsible for the Syrian refugee crisis, the local Al-Manar English website reported on Tuesday.
In a speech addressing a ceremony marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Mohammad in Beirut on Monday, Nasrallah said the United States was responsible for the war in Syria and the economic crisis there.
He further noted that the United States is the "primary culprit" involved in the Syrian refugee crisis, explaining the terrorist war initiated by Washington was behind the first wave of Syrian displacement and the Caesar Act was behind the renewed displacement wave.
The Caesar Act, coming into force on June 17, 2020, is United States legislation that sanctions the Syrian government for alleged war crimes against the Syrian population.
"Those who believe that the Syrian displacement threatens Lebanon's existence must ask Washington to revoke the Caesar Act to save Lebanon," Nasrallah said, adding that if the Caesar Act is canceled, hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees will return to their homeland.
The Hezbollah leader called on the various political parties in Lebanon to form a parliamentary or ministerial committee that represents all the segments of the nation to cope with the refugee crisis.
Lebanon remains the country hosting the largest number of refugees per capita, with an estimated 1.5-2 million Syrian refugees living in the country. The large number of Syrian refugees weighed heavily on Lebanon's economy and infrastructure. ■
