Hezbollah leader launches verbal attack against Saudi king

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group has verbally attacked the king of Saudi Arabia, saying Riyadh helped spread extremist Islamic ideology worldwide and is taking the thousands of Lebanese who work in the oil-rich Persian Gulf region as “hostages.” Hassan Nasrallah’s statements during a speech in Beirut came in response to comments by King Salman, who called on the Lebanese in a speech last week “to end the terrorist Hezbollah’s control” of Lebanon. The comments come as Lebanese authorities are trying to mend relations with Saudi Arabia that hit a new low in October when the kingdom recalled its ambassador from Beirut and banned all Lebanese imports.