Kataeb Party condemns Hezbollah's grip on southern Lebanon, urges sovereign forces to unite

After reviewing the developments in Lebanon and the region, the political bureau of the Kataeb Party held its meeting chaired by the party's leader, MP Samy Gemayel.

It pointed out that "Hezbollah persists in solidifying its grip on the south and its people, using them as human shields and bargaining chips to implement the Iranian plan seeking to gain a decisive role in the region, from Lebanon to Syria, Iraq, and Yemen."

"For this reason, it has ignited the southern front despite Arab and Western warnings against continuing on this deadly path," it added.

The political bureau called on the Quintet Committee, which seeks to protect Lebanon from war, to do its utmost to separate the presidential track from the regional negotiations so that efforts bear fruit in a fully qualified state. 

This state should have a president authorized solely to conduct negotiations, sign agreements, and speak on behalf of the Lebanese people.

The political bureau held those insisting on "seizing" the presidential file and refusing to meet the opposition halfway fully responsible. It urged selecting a universally acceptable president capable of leading this stage.

The party called on "sovereign forces, including parties, individuals, and institutions, to unite and collaborate to confront the status quo, regain the state and institutions, no matter how high the sacrifices."

The political bureau rejected defamatory attacks on Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Bechara Boutros al-Rahi and anyone raising their voice "against the domination over Lebanon and the Lebanese, especially the leader of the Kataeb Party."

The political bureau considered that "the approved budget is just another proof of the state's material and visionary bankruptcy. It constitutes a new 'tax burden' on the shoulders of the Lebanese. In addition to being illegal, it came devoid of any reformative or strategic utility, aiming only to reach out for the citizen's livelihood to cover the gaps caused by a failed financial policy."