A delegation of opposition Members of Parliament, received by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, expressed concerns over the imminent threat to the Lebanese army. The delegation was composed of Samy Gemayel, Ghassan Hasbani, Michel Moawad, Bilal Hosheimi, Ashraf Rifi, Mark Daou and Waddah Sadek.
The opposition MPs conveyed a unified message to Mikati, proposing a swift governmental decision to defer the retirement of the army commander by a year. “The intention behind this proposal is to safeguard the prestige of the army and its leadership,” considering the institution’s consensus among the Lebanese people transcending sectarian and political affiliations. The opposition MPs argued that any “alternative measure would be deemed unconstitutional and illegal.”
Gemayel highlighted the importance of preserving the institution, its personnel and officers, emphasizing the urgent need for a decisive resolution, particularly given Lebanon’s precarious state of war. He placed the primary responsibility for addressing this issue on the government, urging the caretaker Minister of Defense, Maurice Slim, to play a pivotal role by issuing a decision to postpone the retirement of the army commander.
In the absence of a president to appoint a replacement, the opposition MPs asserted that if the caretaker Minister of Defense “fails to fulfill this duty, it becomes the government’s responsibility, led by Prime Minister Mikati, to perceive the minister as neglectful and subsequently issue the decision on behalf of the government.”
