Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces (LF), said that Hezbollah does not want to engage in a war with Israel over Gaza, but rather seeks to strengthen its presence on the internal scene in order to achieve its objectives on the one hand, and to enable Iran to advance its regional interests, on the other.
However, according to Geagea, Israel is not satisfied with the current situation on the border with Lebanon and intends to press for a complete withdrawal of Hezbollah from the area south of the Litani River, or use force to achieve it. “Israel wants to ensure that the withdrawal is final with the Lebanese army taking control of the border in collaboration with international forces,” explained the LF leader during a meeting on Friday with mukhtars from various Lebanese regions.
“This explains the activity of international negotiators, including Amos Hochstein,” who is due to arrive during the course of the coming week and is said to be “trying to convince Hezbollah to move away from the border in order to avoid a full-scale war between Lebanon and Israel,” as Geagea pointed out.
Unclear about what Hezbollah’s reaction will be, the LF chief said that the following months will reveal the pro-Iranian party’s decision. “Will it withdraw as far as possible from South Lebanon (10 km and not 30 km as planned by the Israelis – editor’s note) or will it refuse to do so” and therefore create new developments.
Rereferring to the assassination on January 2 of Saleh al-Arouri, founding member of the Hamas military wing, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Geagea recalled that Hezbollah has been working to protect al-Arouri since his arrival in Lebanon. Because the attack took place in Hezbollah’s stronghold, Geagea raised a number of questions which, in his opinion, remain unanswered.
Geagea also referred to the issue of the Lebanese presidential election. He regretted “the lack of serious indicators on this subject, especially as the opposing party (Hezbollah and its allies – editor’s note) still insists on the candidacy of Marada Leader, Sleiman Frangieh. “As long as the war in Gaza is incessant, the Shiite duo will continue to support its candidate,” concluded Geagea.
