Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has strongly condemned Hezbollah’s exploitation of Lebanese villages for military operations against the Hebrew state.
“Hezbollah refuses to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and to cede the borders to the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL in order to avoid a war with Israel,” he said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Geagea decried Hezbollah’s use of certain border villages in the areas of Tyre, Bint Jbeil, and Marjayoun as launch pads for its missiles.
The FL leader underlined the dangers to which these villages are exposed. He recalled Tuesday’s dramatic episode, when two journalists, Farah Omar and Rabih Maamari, and their companion were killed in an Israeli strike on Tayr Harfa and Jibbein in southern Lebanon.
“The majority of the inhabitants of these villages are opposed to Hezbollah’s actions, which cause population displacement in an extremely difficult economic and financial context,” he added.
Geagea also stressed the total lack of national consensus on Hezbollah’s arsenal and deemed it necessary to respect the will of those who contest its actions.
He concluded by saying, “The current government, in particular the ministers of defense and interior, are required to take all necessary measures to ensure that Hezbollah does not use these villages.”
