During the annual mass in honor of the martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance in Maarab, the leader of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, delivered a strong speech against the “obstructionist camp” while outlining his vision for a sovereign Lebanon, free from foreign interference. Between denouncing the practices of Hezbollah and its allies, calling for legislative elections to be held on time, and advocating normalized relations with Syria and the Arab world, Geagea declared that “a new state is beginning to emerge.”
“The path will not be easy, it will take time, but these are the necessary steps. We are moving in the right direction,” he added.
He further emphasized, “There can be no true state as long as illegal weapons exist within its borders.”
Offensive Against the ‘Obstructionist Camp’
Geagea accused Hezbollah and its allies of having “kept the Lebanese under their yoke, by force of arms and terror, for many years, destroying their dreams and institutions, and seeking to impose [their] project at the expense of the state’s project.”
He said they had “taken the country hostage,” monopolized decisions over war and peace, “dismembered the state, fragmented Lebanon, and compromised its relations with the Arab world and the international community.”
Regarding the pro-Iranian group’s weapons, Geagea argued that they “do not protect, do not build and do not deter. On the contrary, they have brought destruction, ruin and displacement, and have attracted a new occupation,” as proven by “facts and experience.”
He also recalled the military involvement of the resistance axis in Syria, “to defend a criminal regime, in a war that has nothing to do with Lebanon,” a choice that, according to him, plunged the country into “fire, destruction and calamities.”
Sovereignty as a Priority
“We will never again accept that decisions are not 100% Lebanese, nor that any decision, big or small, is made outside constitutional institutions,” Geagea asserted.
He also stressed that “the shortest path to achieving Israel’s withdrawal from the South and ending its aggressions is the establishment of a true state in Lebanon.”
“Above all, we insist on holding legislative elections on schedule and reject any idea or attempt to extend the Parliament’s mandate under any circumstances,” he added.
Addressing fears of renewed internal unrest, Geagea insisted: “There will be no repeat of May 7, no storming of the Grand Serail, no civil war. Nobody wants that.” At the same time, he warned that if one side attempted to drag the country into such a conflict, “all the Lebanese will stand with the state and its legitimacy.”
Appeal to the Shia Community
Geagea reached out to the Shia community: “You are an essential component of Lebanon as a definitive homeland, as affirmed by Imam Musa al-Sadr.”
However, he warned against any path outside state institutions: “Shia brothers, be assured that any choice or project outside the state will be dangerous for you, a threat, and will leave you defenseless before the appetites of external powers and interests.”
Redefining Relations with Syria and the Arab World
Regarding Damascus, Geagea stated it is “imperative to quickly rid ourselves of the legacies of the Assad regime and the past period in Lebanon, notably the Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination.”
He also called to “begin the work of demarcating land and maritime borders between Lebanon and Syria, and strengthen cooperation between the two armies to put an end to smuggling.”
Finally, Geagea expressed his hope that Lebanon could reclaim its full place in the Arab world, calling on “the General Secretariat of the Arab League to seriously consider holding an Arab Summit in Beirut, similar to the 2002 summit, in order to complete Lebanon’s return to its Arab environment and the return of Arabs to Lebanon.”
Comments