ROME: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Friday said that for Lebanon to survive and prosper Hezbollah must disarm.

Criticizing the group in a speech at a conference in Italy, the kingdom’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said that the “Iranians established Hezbollah, a terrorist organization in Lebanon to serve Iranian interests, not Lebanese interests.”

He said Iran uses Hezbollah as a proxy in Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Yemen and that “Hezbollah uses Lebanese banks to launder money and Lebanese ports to smuggle drugs. That’s how they finance themselves.”

Jubeir advocated a firmer world stance against “this terrorist organization if we want to give Lebanon a fighting chance of a better, more prosperous future. ... Lebanon will only survive or prosper if you disarm Hezbollah.”