Senior Shiite cleric Sayyed Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah said unity between Syria and Lebanon is still strong, despite a sharp increase in tensions between the two countries following a fiery speech by Syrian President Bashar Assad. During his Friday sermon, Fadlallah addressed a crowd of religious, political and social figures at the Imam Hasanein mosque in Beirut's southern suburbs. He said: "The unity of the two countries is a reality; this reality comes at the security, economic and political level." Fadlallah criticized Lebanese officials for neglecting the economic situation in the country, saying "everyone is concerned with everything but the economic crisis." He also said they had failed to recognize the true intentions of Western governments who are "planning to control the region." Fadlallah said Lebanon is being used by Western governments as a tool to pressure Syria for their own interests. He questioned why UN officials passed resolutions on Lebanon's internal affairs and threatened Lebanon and Syria with sanctions or force, but failed to issue a resolution demanding that Israel "stop the gradual genocide that is being committed against the Palestinian people." Fadlallah also said recent international resolutions "suggest the U.S. is controlling the UN like a card to serve its policies in the region, pressure Syria, support its occupation of Iraq, and provide complete support to Israel's security."