BEIRUT: Hezbollah claiming responsibility for the Ayoub drone sent over Israel is proof that Lebanon is used as a shield for Iran, the March 14 coalition said.

“When Hezbollah claims it sent the Iranian-made plane to Israel, the Lebanese become more convinced that they serve as a scapegoat in the international and regional struggle and a shield for Iran,” said the coalition in a statement issued following its weekly meeting.

The coalition also accused Hezbollah of luring Israeli aggression against Lebanon.

It called on Iran to lift the tutelage over Lebanon’s political decisions, asserting that the drone incident proved that Hezbollah “seems to represent the Iranian revolutionary guards in Lebanon.”

“Participants in the national dialogue table should launch a dialogue with Iranian authorities to urge it to lift its tutelage over Lebanon,” the March 14 statement said.

It added that the drone incident confirmed that Hezbollah does not participate in National Dialogue sessions as a Lebanese party but as a party linked to Iran.

March 14 also said that Hezbollah’s confession of supporting the Syrian regime against rebels puts the country at risk.

“Hezbollah accuses other parties of meddling in the Syrian crisis, while media reports continuously indicate the party’s military involvement in the Syrian crisis,” said the statement.

The coalition also renewed its call for the deployment of a joint force of the Lebanese Army and international troops at the Lebanese-Syrian borders.

“The secretary-general of March 14 renews its calls for the Lebanese-Syrian borders to be placed under the authority of the UNIFIL and the Lebanese Army, as stipulated by U.N. Security Resolution 1701,” said the statement.

Last Week, Hezbollah Chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said that his party had dispatched an aerial vehicle that was shot down over Israel on Oct. 6.

He added that the drone was manufactured in Iran but assembled in Lebanon.