The latest on the caretaker cabinet session

Normally, the phrase "The President attended and chaired the session" is usually mentioned during cabinet meetings.

This article was originally published in and translated from Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan. 

However, in exceptional situations, as was the case Thursday, ministers from Hezbollah participated in a session of the caretaker government and took charge of it.

According to Nidaa Al-Watan source, the atmosphere during the cabinet meeting was not calm. It witnessed heated verbal exchanges, particularly from ministers associated with Hezbollah.

Minister Moustafa Bayram demanded that the caretaker Prime Minister raise the level of the statement he was about to deliver. He pointed out that Israel is attacking the Lebanese, and one cannot remain silent about this issue.

Bayram also expressed his objection to the stance of the caretaker Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, during the Arab Foreign Ministers' conference. But, Minister Walid Nassar intervened, urging not to omit the concerned minister and wait for his clarifications. Several other ministers also expressed their positions on the developments without causing any verbal disputes.

In addition, it was reported that ministers from Hezbollah requested the inclusion of the phrase "genocide" in the cabinet's resolutions to describe what Israel is doing in Gaza. Minister of Agriculture Abbas El-Hajj Hassan called for including the slogan coined by Imam Musa al-Sadr: "Israel is absolute evil, and dealing with it is forbidden."

To add a touch to Hezbollah's management of the government session, the Minister of Culture, Mohammad Wissam Mortada, entered the session wearing a Palestinian kaffiyeh.

Simultaneously, some ministers raised the issue of Lebanon's fate in case of a war that targets vital Lebanese facilities. They also discussed Lebanon's security readiness to defend itself during the war. Sources also said the government has decided to start preparing for such circumstances.

Additionally, the Lebanese Army Chief General Joseph Aoun affirmed that the military institution is ready to fulfill its duties. One of the security leaders who participated in the session also confirmed this.

How did the session conclude?

No decisions were issued, and the session ended with a statement from Mikati, who appeared flustered while attempting to navigate the dangerous circumstances Lebanon finds itself in, alongside the evident influence of Hezbollah during the session.

As an example of this confusion, Mikati mentioned Western warnings, particularly from the United States, regarding the consequences of Hezbollah leading Lebanon into war.

Mikati stressed, "I am in contact not only with international officials who have reached out to us to convey their efforts to calm the situation but also with all the influential political forces in Lebanon. I ask them to exercise restraint and not to be drawn into Israeli plots."

However, the media affiliated with Hezbollah omitted the previous statements and highlighted this part of Mikati's statement: "The overall incidents occurring along the Blue Line are a result of Israeli provocations and the constant violation by Israel of UN Resolution 1701."

In a continuation of the scene of Hezbollah's management of the government session, Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, arrived in Beirut late on Thursday. He was delayed for hours because his plane couldn't land at Damascus Airport due to its closure following Israeli airstrikes.

The Israeli ambassador to Berlin stated that the airstrikes on Damascus Airport targeted "shipments of weapons coming from Iran, including missiles and drones," destined for Syria and Lebanon.

From the political level to the field, alarm sirens rang out Thursday in the Golan Heights and the Mtelleh settlement amid initial reports of rockets being fired from southern Lebanon.

However, it was later revealed that no rockets were launched at Mtelleh settlement. The sounds of explosions were due to the explosion of 3 Patriot missiles over the Khiam Valley opposite the Mtelleh settlement.

The Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated, "An interception missile was launched in the northern region after detecting something in the country's airspace. It was later found that it wasn't an enemy aerial object, and the interception was false."

In the political reactions, opposition sources told Nidaa Al-Watan that the statement represents a "decisive stance to affirm national unity after a similar presidential stance."

Moreover, they emphasized that the message was fourfold. First, it was directed at Hezbollah, stating, "The use of Lebanese territory and its linkage to Iranian strategic interests is rejected."

It then turned to the caretaker government, considering it "bears responsibility for exposing Lebanon to the danger of war and destruction due to its inaction."

It also addressed the core of the conflict in Gaza, asserting the need to "establish an independent Palestinian state according to the two-state solution."

The opposition concluded by emphasizing "the necessity of fortifying the country by expediting the election of a president who unites the Lebanese around the project of the state."