The head of the Lebanese Forces (LF) said on Monday that the death of Elias Hasrouni of the LF Central Council was not accidental. The latter was found dead at the beginning of last week in Ain Ebel, in south Lebanon.
In an interview with An Nahar, Geagea based his assertion on three points: firstly, surveillance videos proving that it was a premeditated murder. Secondly, the kidnapping and murder took place in an area controlled by Hezbollah and thirdly, several people and vehicles were involved, proving that the murder was organized.
Nonetheless, Geagea said, “We will wait for the findings of the investigation by the security agencies, but based on the available evidence, suspicions point towards the involvement of ‘Hezbollah’.”
Also on Monday, caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, said that preliminary results of the investigation into Hasrouni’s death showed that there was no partisan cause for the murder.
Commenting on the clashes in Kahaleh, Geagea called on Hezbollah to take lessons from what happened, saying that the majority of the Lebanese people were opposed to the party’s actions and practices.
The LF leader argued that rearming (his party) and the Christians was not an issue because security was the role of the army and the security forces. He stated, “There is a legitimate military force that is responsible for security, and therefore it is not allowed to go in any other direction.”
Commenting on the negotiations between the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, and Hezbollah, Geagea said that it is “a big scam” and that Bassil is trading national issues for personal gain.
He asked, “Can we conclude an agreement with a party that sabotages the project of establishing the State?”
