Warnings issued by Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to their citizens, whether mandating immediate departure or complying with a travel ban to Lebanon, have remained shrouded in mystery.
This article was originally published in and translated from the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
For the fourth consecutive day, no political faction could be persuaded that the statements, as they were released - in timing (at night), formulation, and publicity - were solely linked to the battles in Ain al-Hilweh camp, which had temporarily subsided, as stated by Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari.
The Saudi political behavior indicates that Riyadh and the generally anti-resistance axis are determined to achieve gains on all fronts. Thus, these forces regarding Lebanon are subject to multiple signals:
The first relates to the Kingdom's behavior. Before the Iranian-Saudi agreement with Chinese sponsorship, the Saudis acted neutrally, based on the premise that they were not concerned with what was happening in Lebanon.
After the agreement, they stepped back slightly to express good intentions without giving a serious indication of assistance. Many developments then occurred in the region, starting with the shaking of the understanding in Yemen and extending to the Dorra field in Kuwait, the waning enthusiasm for normalization with Syria, and the postponement of opening the embassy.
These developments were bound to affect the Lebanese file. In the recent Doha meeting (July 17th), signs of strictness in dealing with Lebanon emerged, with threats to take measures against those obstructing the election of a new president.
The second is connected to the contradiction in dealing with the French initiative, especially regarding the idea of dialogue. It has become clear that Riyadh is not enthusiastic about the French role.
Saudi Arabia, while emphasizing that the presidential elections are an internal matter for Lebanon, expresses caution in endorsing broad dialogue, aiming to ensure the integrity of the Taif Agreement, even though Jean-Yves Le Drian, when he came to Lebanon two weeks ago, confirmed that he speaks on behalf of the five countries, not just Paris.
The third concerns the political front extending from Riyadh to Washington, passing through Beirut, and working against Hezbollah, which cannot be dealt with based on being "separate" from each other.
The media-political machine continues to blame Hezbollah for everything happening in the country, and recently, it has become "fashionable" to lump the Shiite duo together and accuse them alone of obstructing the country and pushing it into complete collapse, according to Al-Akhbar.
In this context, a prominent political reference was quoted as saying that he has recently noticed a return to discussing the isolation of the Shiite community and working to besiege it internally and externally. He related this to a statement from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which called on President Joe Biden to pressure Speaker Nabih Berri on August 4th, said Al-Akhbar.
The reference stated that the campaign calling for sanctions on Berri falls within the context of the "isolation" pursued by some. The reference added that Lebanese MPs who visited Washington a while ago played a role in "inciting against the Speaker of the Parliament," describing him as a "tool in the hands of Hezbollah."
He called for handling this matter with great precision and attention because "the consequences are significant."
On his part, Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi called for a series of meetings of the Central Security Council to review the security situation in the country from various aspects.
The army is expected to provide a detailed report on the reality of the camps, especially after the battles in Ain al-Hilweh, in connection with cautious information available to the government and foreign capitals about the possibility of renewed clashes spreading to other camps.