Amid Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the Lebanese border areas, the Levantine country is strengthening national unity and the equation of resistance, army and people, despite political differences regarding the first presidency of the Republic.
A full year has passed since the end of Michel Aoun’s term of office (2016-2022), a period marked by the failure of twelve electoral sessions in Parliament and the constant search for dialogue to appoint the new head of state.
Given the unstable situation, the head of the interim government, Najib Mikati, defended the need for a unified internal position in the interests of the country; and revealed the creation of an emergency plan as an essential preventive measure against the threat of war.
Presidential candidate Suleiman Franjieh and Free Patriotic Current leader Gebran Bassil overcame political barriers and established a position of unity in the face of the bombing of Israel.
During a meeting, both leaders of the Maronite Christian community stressed that Lebanon’s sovereignty is more important than the acts of the Presidency of the Republic and discussed the situation on the southern border.
In an atmosphere of understanding, Franjieh and Bassil stressed the need to prevent division and described the Israeli attack on Gaza as a crime against humanity.
Previously, Bassil and former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt supported Lebanon’s right to defend itself against Israeli aggression.
Representative Bassil emphasized his support for the struggle of the Palestinian people and the interest in saving Lebanon from the threat of war; while Jumblatt made it clear that they needed to have a unified voice and expressed his support for the Islamic Resistance (Hizbullah).
In this sense, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri expressed his support for any action by Hezbollah if Tel Aviv’s aggression against the Gaza Strip and places on the country’s border does not stop.
Hezbollah fighters began conducting operations exclusively against Israeli military sites along the border line in order to defend occupied Lebanese land and in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
In this context, Commander Joseph Aoun reiterated the natural and legitimate duty of the Lebanese Army to defend itself against any aggression.
Since September 29, 2022, the Lebanese Parliament has been trying to elect the next President of the Republic, a position that will go to a representative of the Maronite Christian community as established by the national pact of independence from France in 1943 and the denominational system.
lam/yma