Latest news with #Hezbollah-Amal
L'Orient-Le Jour
8 hours ago
- Business
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Our priority is to build the state and restore its arms monopoly, says Jaber
BEIRUT — Finance Minister Yassine Jaber said in a speech in Nabatieh that the priority of Nawaf Salam's government was to build the Lebanese state, but also to restore its monopoly on weapons, while specifying that the protection "of our people" remains "the absolute priority." Although nuanced, these explicit comments on the monopoly over weapons are unprecedented from a member of the Amal movement, Hezbollah's main ally, at a time when the government's decision Thursday to adopt the American roadmap for Hezbollah disarmament triggered a wave of opposition from Hezbollah. "Today, here in Nabatieh, which still mourns its martyrs and heals its wounds, I reaffirm as a government minister my unwavering commitment since we took office: our priority is building the state, strengthening all its institutions — particularly the Lebanese Army — and restoring the state's monopoly on weapons, as confirmed by the ministerial statement," Jaber declared, calling it a matter of "consensus." 'Renewing our loyalty to Lebanon alone' The minister was abroad last week during the two Cabinet meetings devoted to the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament. "I regret that political developments in Lebanon accelerated while I was abroad, prevented by previous commitments from attending the last two Cabinet sessions. Despite my absence, my position is clear and unambiguous: the protection of our people remains the absolute priority, the cornerstone of national unity," he added. Last Thursday, the four other Shiite ministers present at the meeting — including three from the Hezbollah-Amal alliance — left the room when discussions turned to the American document. Hezbollah had previously called on the government to reverse its decision, while Iran has twice publicly opposed Hezbollah's disarmament and has been condemned on both occasions by Lebanese diplomacy, which accused it of "interference." Speaking in Nabatieh, a town in southern Lebanon where he is from and which was especially ravaged by Israeli bombs during the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Jaber also addressed Israeli interference in Lebanese projects. "The crucial question to which we demand a clear answer is the following: will the others [Israel and its allies] allow us to build the state we claim and defend? Will the Israeli neighbor stop its aggression? Will there be guarantees for the cessation of attacks and its withdrawal to internationally recognized borders, so the Lebanese Army can be deployed there, in accordance with international resolutions and the cease-fire agreement?" he asked. "This is the core of the debate today, which requires clear, sincere, and committed answers, so that the state we seek to strengthen is a state of prestige, strength, sovereignty, and development. The responsibility is great today, greater than ever. What is expected of all of us as Lebanese are sincere, unified positions, good intentions, and actions based on our faith in shared life and common destiny, because when the ship sinks, it takes down everyone, regardless of class or rank," the minister continued, concluding: "We are all called to renew our loyalty to Lebanon alone and to work hand in hand to build the state we aspire to."
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Call for demonstration in Beirut's southern suburbs against government decision on Hezbollah disarmament
A call for a mobilization of Hezbollah supporters was launched on Friday, notably via social media, to denounce the decision taken on Thursday by the Salam government to regain the monopoly on arms, including Hezbollah's. The statement, signed by the "Southern Suburbs Youth Gathering," called for a motorized convoy to depart at 6 p.m. from Mar Mikhael Church in Chiyeh, to the road to Beirut airport. It called on participants to "not speed" during the convoy and, above all, "not to attack the military and security forces." Following Thursday's announcement of the government's decision to adopt U.S. envoy Tom Barrack's roadmap, which calls for the disarmament of armed groups before the end of the year, convoys of mopeds had already driven through the streets of Beirut, mainly in the southern suburbs, and several other regions of the country considered Hezbollah strongholds. Shiite ministers, including Fadi Makki, who is not affiliated with the Hezbollah-Amal alliance, left the meeting on Thursday to express their disagreement.
L'Orient-Le Jour
2 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Most of Lebanese press praise government's decision, al-Akhbar denounces a 'coup by bin Farhan government'
BEIRUT — The cabinet session on Thursday, which adopted the 'objectives' of the roadmap proposed by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack for restoring calm between Lebanon and Israel, has divided the Lebanese press between outlets praising the move and pro-Hezbollah newspapers heavily criticizing the government. Barrack's text calls for 'progressively ending the armed presence of all non-state factions, including Hezbollah, throughout Lebanese territory, south and north of the Litani River.' The four Shiite ministers present at the meeting — three representing the Hezbollah-Amal alliance — walked out of the room when discussions turned to the American document. Hezbollah had previously called on the government to reverse its Tuesday decision to disarm all militias by the end of 2025. Nidaa al-Watan, close to the Lebanese Forces, headlined its paper with a picture portraying the Shiite ministers who withdrew from the cabinet meeting with a headline reading: "Breaking away from the national consensus." The paper even claimed that the Shiite ministers were receiving instructions via WhatsApp during the cabinet session: "It appeared that they were confused between participating in the discussion and reading the instructions via WhatsApp." Sovereigntist newspaper An-Nahar also praised the government's move, with the following headline: "The decisive legal resolution moves forward, and Barak's plan overcomes the obstacles." The newspaper added that despite their objection, Hezbollah and Amal did not go this time as far as to resign and withdraw from the government, the way they did in 2006 when they resigned from Fouad Siniora's government after talks on forming a national unity government collapsed hours earlier. "Instead, they limited themselves to objecting and withdrawing from the two sessions without causing a government crisis," An Nahar added. Meanwhile, the moderate daily Al Joumhouriya took a more nuanced stance, claiming that the withdrawal of the Shiite ministers from the cabinet session for the second time exposed the government to a "shake-up in the national pact balance." 'Bin Farhan's government' On the other side of the political spectrum, criticisms against the government were harsh. Pro-Hezbollah newspaper Al-Akhbar described what happened in the session as a coup for the second time in a row, as it used the same term to describe Tuesday's session: "Barrak congratulated Aoun and Salam on the coup." It went as far as calling the cabinet "Bin Farhan's government," as a reference to the Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud. "Lebanon remains under the influence of the coup carried out by Presidents Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam at the August 5 ministerial session," the paper claimed, adding that this is a complete "surrender to US-Saudi dictates." Using a similar tone, Addiyar, a paper previously known for its proximity to Syria's Assad regime, claimed that the 'national pact' principles have fallen for the first time from the first government of the current presidential term. "This is an early warning that will have consequences if the country slides further into divisions as a result of surrendering to American dictates, with Washington having succeeded in transferring the problem into the Lebanese domestic arena," it added. Meanwhile, al-Bina, an outlet affiliated with the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), an ally of Hezbollah, wrote: "The government was not ashamed to announce that it had adopted the paper presented by U.S. envoy Thomas Barak." "It even said openly that, in a constitutional meeting of the Lebanese government, it had approved a paper drafted by a foreign envoy on national affairs concerning the Lebanese people, in a frank admission that talk of sovereignty in government discourse is merely rhetoric used for marketing, promotion, and misdirection."
L'Orient-Le Jour
3 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
After Cabinet's decision on disarmament, Hezbollah supporters take to the streets
Waving yellow flags, on foot and on mopeds, hundreds of Hezbollah supporters took to the streets of Lebanon on Thursday night to voice their opposition to the Cabinet's adoption of the 'objectives' laid out in the U.S. roadmap. The plan notably calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah and other armed groups by the end of the year. Meanwhile, according to a statement carried by several local media outlets, 'the Amal Movement called on its supporters not to participate in car or motorcycle convoys in any form, and to be cautious of inciteful posts circulating on social media.' In the evening, a motorcade moved through the road leading to Beirut's international airport, in the southern suburbs of the capital, temporarily blocking traffic. A separate gathering took place in Beirut's Chiyah neighborhood, near Mar Mikhael Church, according to videos circulating on social media. In the Bekaa, Hezbollah supporters staged a sit-in along the Riyak–Baalbeck highway, according to L'Orient Today's local correspondent. In south Lebanon, protests continued late into the night in the streets of Nabatieh, Sour, Ghazieh and Haret Saida. Dozens of men on motorcycles, waving Hezbollah and Amal Movement flags, roamed through the cities, chanting slogans in support of the resistance, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem and late leader Hassan Nasrallah. Entrances to Beirut's southern suburbs closed According to media reports, the army reinforced checkpoints at the entrances to Beirut's southern suburbs to prevent protest convoys from leaving the area. Earlier in the day, during a meeting that lasted several hours at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, the government approved 'the objectives outlined in the American document' presented by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack. The text calls for 'progressively ending the armed presence of all non-state factions, including Hezbollah, throughout Lebanese territory, south and north of the Litani River.' The four Shiite ministers present at the meeting — three representing the Hezbollah-Amal coalition — walked out of the room when discussions turned to the American document. Hezbollah had previously called on the government to reverse its Tuesday decision to disarm all militias by the end of 2025. Elsewhere, in the northern city of Tripoli, demonstrations were held in support of the government and its decisions.
L'Orient-Le Jour
4 days ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
A ‘grave sin': Hezbollah and Amal lash out at government, without severing ties
The government has had its say, and so has the Hezbollah-Amal alliance — and their positions are opposed. On Wednesday, Hezbollah sharply condemned the Cabinet's decision, made the day before, to set a deadline for its disarmament under a plan the army is expected to draft this month. Calling the move a 'grave sin,' Hezbollah said it would act as though the decision 'does not exist.'The Amal Movement, which has not used such strong words, also criticized the government, accusing it of 'making more gratuitous concessions to the enemy' instead of 'focusing its efforts on reinforcing the cease-fire and stopping Israel's killing machine.'These verbal attacks signal a potential political crisis — unless Thursday's Cabinet session serves as an opportunity to round the corners. Read more Hezbollah will act as if Cabinet's decision on arms...
