MP Michel Moawad, from the Renewal bloc, deplored in an interview with LBCI on Wednesday evening that the Lebanese government’s decision on war and peace had been “hijacked” by Hezbollah, charging that caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati “let Hezbollah have its way, to the detriment of the country’s sovereignty.” For the opposition MP, “the only lasting solution that guarantees stability is the effective implementation of Resolution 1701.”

“The caretaker government has abdicated its role and agreed to link the fate of Lebanon to that of Gaza, which is a crime against Lebanon,” he denounced.

Regarding the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, Moawad said that what was happening there “concerns us all,” calling for “a two-state solution,” the only way to silence the weapons, and to ensure “the right of the Palestinian people to a state and to decide their own destiny.”

In this context, he accused Iran of using the conflict to expand its agenda in the region, pointing at Hezbollah’s opening of the southern front with Israel, whom he urged “not to use Lebanon and its people” to serve Iranian interests.

The opposition MP also denounced the war and its high cost, which the Lebanese are paying, especially the inhabitants of South Lebanon. He also stressed that this war “is a crime” against the whole of Lebanon, knowing that this conflict comes on top of an economic and financial crisis that has lasted since 2019.

MP Moawad accused Hezbollah of hijacking “the State’s decision”, inviting it to learn from “our history,” while assuring “that excess power does not last.”

Regarding the diplomatic negotiations to implement UN resolution 1701 (which put an end to the war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006), Moawad denounced the contradictions of the caretaker government, saying: “It cannot link the fate of Lebanon to that of Gaza and demand the implementation of resolution 1701 at the same time.”

Asked about the presidential elections and the position of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), the MP stressed that “the opposition maintains its support for its candidate, former minister Jihad Azour, and the FPM has also confirmed its support for this proposal.”

“We must strive to move closer to the FPM in order to liberate the state from Hezbollah and reclaim it, despite our many differences,” continued Moawad.

Moawad reiterated that the opposition will keep up its efforts until the country is freed from Hezbollah’s dominion and its sovereignty is restored.