PressTV Lebanon’s former president, Emile Lahoud, says Saudi Arabia has been exerting its influence in Lebanon’s politics by bribing politicians over long years, Press TV reports.

Lahoud said in an interview with Press TV that many Lebanese politicians switch sides because they have pledged allegiance to foreign countries.

He said after he was appointed as Lebanon’s commander in chief, the then president of the republic and chief of intelligence approached him with “a suitcase full of USD 100” bills.

They “said this is half a million dollars that we give every month to the commander in chief who goes along our policy,” Lahoud added.

“I said why don’t you give it to the government and the government gives it to the army. He said no…. He said this has been done since 1982,” the veteran politician further noted.

“I said who is doing that. He said Sheikh Rafei and that he brings them from Saudi Arabia,” he added.

Lahoud stressed that Lebanon must have strong resistance backed by its national army to overcome problems.

The country needs to replace its sectarian-based electoral law with a national law to get rid of foreign-backed politicians, he added.

People in Lebanon have staged several demonstrations to slam what they called the divisive role of Saudi Arabia in the region.

Protesters accuse Riyadh of fueling unrest and sectarianism in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. They say the Al Saud regime has been using its petrodollars to finance al-Qaeda-linked and Takfiri groups with the sole aim of destabilizing the region.