The Israeli threats of heading towards war continue amid ongoing confrontations in the south between the Israeli state and Hezbollah. In contrast, the latter persists in proclaiming its commitment to linking Lebanon to the Gaza war.
This article was originally published in and translated from the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan.
Between these two extremes, sources told Nidaa Al-Watan that the Arab and international Quintet Committee is working to salvage the presidential mandate, which was due at the end of October 2022 and has not been completed yet.
According to sources, after meeting recently with Saudi Ambassador Walid Al-Bukhari, the latter expressed his country's desire to consult with Lebanese parties to break the presidential deadlock.
Al-Bukhari clarified that the goal of the Quintet Committee meeting is to unify the stance on the president's specifications and avoid a repetition of the French "experience," meaning that no party should convey a different "language" than the others.
He emphasized that after unifying the president's characteristics, the next stage would involve discussing the names that meet those specifications.
Al-Bukhari stressed that the upcoming stage would witness increased pressure to complete the presidential mandate, with the Quintet Committee working to separate the Lebanese presidency path from the Gaza war.
On the front, Israeli media attributed to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant the statement, "As long as fighting continues in the south, there will be fighting in the north."
However, he added during a tour on the Lebanese border, "But we will not accept this reality for a long time. There will come a moment if we do not reach a diplomatic agreement in which Hezbollah respects the right of citizens to live safely here; we will have to ensure security by force."
In contrast, Hezbollah's Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem stated, "The enemy must know that the readiness of Hezbollah is very high. We prepare as if aggression could occur at any time, and it has no beginning or end."
"Our readiness to resist aggression has no beginning or end. It knows that we are the people of jihad and martyrdom. If we advance, we do not retreat. We are always ahead in the resistance work," he added.
Amidst the fiery exchange, both in terms of gunfire and politics between Israel and Hezbollah, the sovereign forces warned caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati against the danger of continuing the policy of relinquishing the legitimacy's decision in peace and war for the benefit of Hezbollah.
This would mean keeping Lebanon as a "card" at the disposal of the Axis led by Iran, which can "sell" it whenever it wants to "buy" gains that spell the end of Lebanon, according to Nidaa Al-Watan.
In this context, "Likaa Al Joumhouria" called for refraining from linking Lebanese interests and mandates of any kind and level with ending the war in Gaza. This statement was issued after its regular meeting chaired by former President Michel Suleiman.
The leader of the "Lebanese Forces" party, Samir Geagea, called on the caretaker government not to compromise Lebanon for the sake of the resistance team.