Samir Geagea, Lebanese Forces (LF) chief, argued on Saturday that “Lebanon is at serious risk of war, five months in.”
“This is why I’ve said that no one should tamper with the balances that have existed in southern Lebanon since the adoption of Resolution 1701 in August 2006, especially since the ongoing confrontations in the south have not helped Gaza,” said Geagea.
He estimated potential Israeli attacks on Rafah and highlighted the seriousness of Israel’s objectives in Lebanon, emphasizing the need for strategic calculations for the next stage.
However, he lamented that the biggest threat to Lebanon was “the absence of a government responsible for its people, which is bearing the brunt of Hezbollah’s decisions that are in line with Iran’s strategic interests and that lead the Lebanese to disasters.”
Geagea questioned the motives behind the deaths of over 300 people since the onset of the southern tensions.
Regarding the presidential file, Geagea said that his party is “supporting the National Moderation Initiative because it is a logical proposal based on one-day consultations among MPs followed by an open electoral session in consecutive sessions.”
Geagea also confirmed that his party rejected Nabih Berri’s initiative put forward last August, consisting of a week-long dialogue followed by open electoral sessions, because setting up a “dialogue table” that would bind the gateway for all constitutional entitlements is a constitutional violation.
He also emphasized that his party won’t give up on Jihad Azour as an option “as long as the resistance does not withdraw its candidate, to which it is more attached than ever.”
“When the other side abandons its candidate, we can discuss the principle of the third option,” he stated.
He also argued that “the time has not yet come to take a serious stance because the opposition rejected the open session in consecutive sessions, while at the same time refusing to agree on the third option.”
