The Saydet el-Jabal Gathering issued its “third call of the year.” It urged the creation of a coalition to implement Resolution 1701, grounded in the Taif Agreement, the Constitution and Resolutions 1559 and 1680.
The Gathering advocated for the Lebanese state to lead negotiations, instead of Hezbollah and its partners. It expressed a willingness to collaborate with “those who believe the Iranian occupation will put an end to the Lebanon we aspire for,” and asserted that “the majority of Lebanese people reject the idea of sacrificing themselves for Iran.”
In a statement released on Monday, the Gathering voiced Lebanese concerns about the state’s absence, noting a new phase with President Nabih Berri holding the positions of President of the Republic, President of Parliament and Prime Minister due to an institutional vacuum. This alternation between legislative and war leadership arose with the Amal movement’s entry onto the war scene.
It is important to highlight that two members of the Amal Movement were killed in an Israeli airstrike on February 11, not the first instance of Amal members being killed in the South since the war’s onset.
The Gathering emphasized that Hezbollah is undergoing a transition phase, making it vulnerable to Israeli drones. It awaits to see the “price at the negotiating table of the great powers,” referring to Iran and the United States.
It also criticized the damages caused by the war, citing figures of 100,000 displaced citizens, over 1,000 destroyed homes and unspecified damages suffered by farmers.
The Gathering also paid tribute to Rafic Hariri on the 19th anniversary of his assassination.
