Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday weighed in on the controversy in Lebanon surrounding Steven Spielberg's newspaper drama "The Post," saying it was wrong to allow it to be screened in Lebanese theaters.
Censorship authorities had recommended banning the movie because the director is blacklisted by the Arab League over his support for Israel. But a Lebanese minister reversed the decision last week, allowing the film to be screened Thursday in theaters across the country.
Nasrallah said Spielberg's name is on a "black list" of Israel supporters and said he had been blacklisted by the Arab League for donating $1 million to Israel during its 2006 war with Lebanon.
Nasrallah said that screening the movie in Lebanon was tantamount to "rewarding" Spielberg under the pretext of art, freedoms and tourism.
"We reject this decision. We consider it a mistake," said Nasrallah.
"This man announced his support for the Israeli aggression against Lebanon. He paid Israel from his own money ... to kill your children and destroy your houses."
"The Post" dramatizes the 1971 battle by American newspapers to publish leaked documents, known as the Pentagon Papers, about the U.S. government's role in the Vietnam War.
Lebanon banned the film "Wonder Woman" last year over the starring role of Israeli actress Gal Gadot.
