Latest news with #Lebaneseness
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
'Hezbollah emptied resistance of its true meaning,' criticizes Rai
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai said, 'The sons of the Shiite community have had enough of the war and want to live in peace.' 'There is strong Lebanese consensus on the implementation of the decision to disarm Hezbollah,' he added. Speaking to Al-Arabiya TV, Rai stated that 'the statements of Hezbollah's Secretary-General, Naim Qassem, are nothing more than rhetorical posturing and there will be no civil war in Lebanon.' The Patriarch further said that 'Hezbollah must come to the conviction that the army protects all Lebanese, without distinction,' and recalled that 'coexistence is what characterises Lebanon and is enshrined in the Constitution.' 'Hezbollah has emptied resistance of its true meaning; resistance is not about submitting to Iran's dictates,' the Patriarch reiterated in one of his most virulent criticisms of Hezbollah. He continued that 'the Lebanese government's decision is clear: to put an end to illegal arms.' He stressed that 'Hezbollah must think about its 'Lebaneseness,'' adding that 'the war in support of Gaza has brought ruin to Lebanon,' he said. Rai believes that priority should be given to reconstruction and recovery, not war. 'The Shiite community is a Lebanese community that existed before the inception of what is called the resistance,' the Patriarch added. 'Hezbollah must have total allegiance to Lebanon and end its allegiance to Iran.' His remarks come after the Cabinet's decision to disarm armed groups in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, and to approve the U.S. roadmap presented by U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack to the authorities. The Lebanese Army was subsequently tasked with submitting a plan by Aug. 31 that outlines the steps for disarmament to be carried out before the end of the year. These decisions have sparked anger in Qassem, who delivered a strong-worded speech last Friday, reiterating his party's refusal to hand over its weapons and even threatening civil war. This speech was made the day after Iran's Envoy Ali Larijani visited Lebanon, where he reiterated his support for maintaining arms. In this context, the patriarch described Iran's interference in the Lebanese affairs as 'flagrant' and emphasized that 'resistance is not synonymous with obedience to Iranian orders.' 'There is no obstacle to peace with Israel in the future, when conditions are right,' revealing that 'the Pope's visit to Lebanon will take place before the end of this year.' Hezbollah opened a front in support of Hamas one day after the Palestinian Islamist group carried out an attack inside Israeli territory on Oct. 7, 2023. This offensive plunged the Gaza Strip into a war with Israel that has been ongoing for nearly two years. In Lebanon, this new war with Israel left Hezbollah severely weakened and deprived it of its key leaders and political and military figures, including its former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed on Sept. 27, 2024.
L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Hezbollah's weapons are God's weapons, Kabalan says to Rai
BEIRUT — Jaafari Mufti Ahmad Kabalan, responded sharply Wednesday to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, telling him that 'no force on earth can take away Hezbollah's weapons because its weapons and those of the Amal Movement are the weapons of God.' The cleric's statement was published a day after a fierce diatribe by Bishop Rai against Hezbollah. 'Hezbollah has emptied resistance of its true meaning, resistance is not about submitting to the dictates of Iran,' the head of the Maronite Church said Tuesday in an interview with Al-Arabiya, inviting 'Hezbollah to reflect on its 'Lebaneseness.'' 'We ourselves, our very existence, and all our capabilities are mobilized to defend Lebanon. We are a force that God has endowed with historic sacrifices and national victories despite being struck,' wrote Kabalan, who stressed that Hezbollah 'has not been defeated and will not be defeated,' referring to the recent war waged by the Shiite militia against Israel. Triggered on Oct.8, 2023, in support of Hamas in Gaza, the initially low-level conflict became open in autumn 2024, with the Israeli army massively bombing South Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs, and the Bekaa, eliminating high-ranking Hezbollah officials, including its secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah, and largely destroying its arsenal. Despite a cease-fire on Nov. 27, 2024, the Israeli state continues to carry out targeted assassinations in South Lebanon, taking civilian lives in the process. The Shiite community has had enough of capitulation Mufti Kabalan argued that 'the monopoly on weapons in the hands of the state has failed because of the American proposal. It exposes Lebanon, its people, and its sovereign and national interests amid a weak state that does nothing but tally strikes from its empty offices,' insisted the cleric close to Hezbollah. 'If modern Lebanon has a historical legacy, it is indeed the one handed down to it by the Amal Movement, Hezbollah, and other resistance forces that defeated Israel and snatched the Lebanese state, its institutions, and its various sectors from the clutches of Israel the day it was occupied,' emphasized Ahmed Kabalan, alluding to Israel's occupation of South Lebanon between 1978 and 2000. The mufti thus assured that Hezbollah 'will not allow Zionism to reoccupy Lebanon' because 'the Shiite community has had enough of capitulation, betrayal, and false testimony.' 'It was Iran that destroyed the Middle East project and shattered the hopes of Washington and Tel Aviv, who live off terrorism, occupation, and destruction, and who failed in their dream of a Greater Israel,' the cleric added. 'What we have accomplished in this war exceeds the capabilities of an entire army,' Kabalan said, concluding that 'the decision of peace or war is a matter of national sovereignty.'
