Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah ‘is the voice of Iran, his words have no national scope,’ says leader of Lebanese Forces party

Hassan Nasrallah. (AFP)
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Updated 25 February 2023
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Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah ‘is the voice of Iran, his words have no national scope,’ says leader of Lebanese Forces party

  • Samir Geagea: ‘Syria is divided into areas, with the center under Iranian control’
  • Militant group does not want real dialogue, he says

BEIRUT: Hassan Nasrallah, secretary-general of Hezbollah, inflicts pain on Lebanon and its society when he associates himself with Iran’s regional strategy, says a prominent Christian bloc leader.

Samir Geagea, leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, told Arab News that Nasrallah “is the voice of Iran. His words have no national scope."

He said Lebanon was not currently suffering from a Christian or a sectarian-related problem, but rather from an intense national issue affecting all Lebanese people.

“Nonetheless, multiparty (politics) reflects a positive aspect,” he added.

Geagea leads one of the two major Christian blocs in the Lebanese parliament, and his party is spearheading the opposition against Hezbollah.

Gebran Bassil leads the other bloc — the Free Patriotic Movement.

Geagea said unity at a political level “cannot be achieved in the presence of two parties, the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement, which are not on the same page regarding the simplest issues, whether strategic matters, propositions, or even the political project and its related practices.”

He added: “Nevertheless, we are on the same page with other parties, such as the Kataeb Party and the National Liberal Party.

“The situation is not easy today, but we always have to be optimistic. The harder it is, the more we have to continue our struggle."

The Lebanese Forces party is considered Saudi Arabia’s main ally in Lebanon, and Geagea believes the relationship has deep roots.

He said: “After 2005, the March 14 Movement emerged, which included the Lebanese Forces.

“This movement had privileged relations with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf countries, enabling the Lebanese Forces to establish relations with Saudi leaders based on the convergence of interests and a shared vision for Lebanon, without forgetting the historical emotional ties between the two peoples.

“However, how can they help our country now, at a time when it is plagued by a corrupt political class, where some of its members are fiercely attacking the Gulf?”

Geagea said that Hezbollah’s speeches are only for the benefit of its supporters as it aims to justify its failures by blaming others.

He added that Iran, through Hezbollah and its allies, “unfortunately has a significant influence on politics in Lebanon.”

He said: “(The) political opposition (is) because we consider Hezbollah’s project to be disastrous for Lebanon, and the proof of this is the situation we are in today.

“(Hezbollah) is today a state within the Lebanese state that is eating away at it from within.

“We have no problem if it is an unarmed party. For Hezbollah, dialogue involves imposing their point of view.

“There have been a lot of negotiations in the past that I have personally engaged in, to no avail.

“These are mere lies and misinformation that they spread and publicize.

“Regarding the presidential elections, there is an ongoing dialogue between the parties, but Hezbollah wants a dialogue to impose its candidate, Suleiman Frangieh.

“Hezbollah does not want real dialogue; they are lying. As proof of this, the Druze leader Walid Jumblatt met with them twice without reaching any solution.

“After all, a candidate with Hezbollah’s blessing is a bad candidate for Lebanon.”

He said he believes Hezbollah’s plan “is to elect a president over the corpses of a dying people, as was the case between 2014 and 2016.”

Geagea added that Hezbollah’s strategy was to push the Lebanese people to accept its party’s candidate, whether Frangieh or someone else.

But he added: “This time we will not allow them to achieve their goal.

“According to Hassan Nasrallah’s recent press conference, Lebanon is in the eye of the regional storm. Who put it in the eye of the storm? Hezbollah and its weapons.

“The Americans helped Lebanon negotiate with Israel to demarcate the maritime borders to fully benefit from the oil and gas resources.

“US sanctions are targeting some Hezbollah leaders who are financing the party and allowing it to lead the Lebanese state."

Lebanon’s current vulnerability has led many to suggest a resurgence of Syrian influence within the country, but Geagea said the Syrian authorities “have no influence in Syria itself.”

He added: “We cannot say that Syria is regaining its former hegemony in Lebanon, while the regime is struggling to assert itself in its country and is almost isolated regionally and internationally.

“(The country) is divided into areas, with the center under Iranian control, the west under Russian control, the north under Turkish, and the east under American. Even Syrian airspace is controlled by Israel.”

Regarding the question of Christian unity in Lebanon, Geagea said: “I believe that this term is misunderstood and misused.

“While the opposition parties use it to say that Christians are divided under the framework of the presidential elections, the truth is that the obstruction is caused by the parties responsible for disrupting the open sessions held for duly electing a president, and voting in favor of a present candidate.

“I believe that the Christian community is unified under a single culture within the country. However, this statement becomes erroneous at the political level.”
 


Two Egyptian pilots killed in helicopter crash in Suez: army

Updated 2 sec ago
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Two Egyptian pilots killed in helicopter crash in Suez: army

The Egyptian air force operates aircraft from various countries

CAIRO: Two Egyptian air force officers were killed on Tuesday when a helicopter crashed during a training exercise, the military said.
The helicopter went down near a key air base in the town of Shalufa, in Suez province, “due to a technical malfunction,” military spokesman Gharib Abdel Hafez said in a post on his official Facebook page.
He did not specify the manufacturer or model of the aircraft.
The Egyptian air force operates aircraft from various countries, including France, Russia and the United States.
In November 2022, the military said a fighter jet had crashed during a military exercise but it reported no casualties.
In December 2019, an aircraft crashed during a training exercise. The pilot ejected safely.

US soldier injured during Gaza pier operation has died: military

Updated 15 min 56 sec ago
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US soldier injured during Gaza pier operation has died: military

  • “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley,” Captain Shkeila Milford-Glover said
  • In addition to the injuries, the project faced other problems starting in May, when the pier was damaged by bad weather and had to be removed for repairs

WASHINGTON: An American soldier has died after being injured during Washington’s problem-plagued operation to establish a temporary aid pier on the coast of Gaza, the US military said Tuesday.
The pier effort aimed to boost deliveries of desperately needed humanitarian assistance into the war-wracked Palestinian territory as Israel held up shipments by land.
But the effort ran into repeated weather issues and the United States ended it in mid-July, some two months after its installation.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley, a recently retired motor transport operator,” Captain Shkeila Milford-Glover, spokesperson for the 3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command, said in a statement.
She did not say when Stanley died or what kind of injury he had sustained, specifying only that the soldier had been receiving treatment in a long-term care facility.
He was one of three US military personnel who suffered non-combat injuries at sea during the pier operation.
The two others suffered minor injuries, a sprained ankle and a hurt back, the military said in May.
In addition to the injuries, the project faced other problems starting in May, when the pier was damaged by bad weather and had to be removed for repairs.
It was then reattached on June 7, but was moved to Ashdod on June 14 to protect it from anticipated high seas — a situation that was repeated later in the month.
US President Joe Biden announced the pier project during his State of the Union address in March as Israel held up deliveries of assistance by land, and the Pentagon has said it helped push the Israeli government to open more aid routes.


Japanese prime minister praises Saudi Arabia’s role in addressing the Gaza crisis

Updated 31 min 34 sec ago
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Japanese prime minister praises Saudi Arabia’s role in addressing the Gaza crisis

  • PM Ishiba made the remarks during a telephone summit with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
  • Ishiba stated that he would like to strengthen the strategic partnership between Japan and Saudi Arabia

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba hailed “Saudi Arabia’s leadership on Gaza” and expressed his determination to continue working with the Kingdom to bring stability to the Middle East.

Ishiba made the remarks during a telephone summit with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, during which he expressed his hope that Saudi Arabia would continue to play a leading role in stabilizing the global oil market.

The Foreign Ministry in Tokyo said the crown prince expressed his wish to deepen cooperation with Japan in various fields, including politics, economics, security, and potentially technology transfer and cultural exchange.

Ishiba said he would like Japan and Saudi Arabia to expand cooperation to areas including clean energy, advanced technology, and entertainment.

With 2025 marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, Ishiba reiterated his commitment to peace and stability in the region. He stated that he would like to strengthen the strategic partnership between Japan and Saudi Arabia and work even more closely together to promote these values. The crown prince also affirmed his commitment to these goals, stating that Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to its relations with Japan and welcomes further cooperation.

The Foreign Ministry added that both leaders shared their concerns about conflicts in the Middle East and the need for all parties involved to exercise maximum restraint. Ishiba said he appreciated Saudi Arabia’s leadership on Gaza, and the two leaders agreed to continue working closely together to achieve stability in the Middle East.


Syrian state media: Israel attacked town near Lebanon border

Updated 32 min 41 sec ago
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Syrian state media: Israel attacked town near Lebanon border

DAMASCUS: An Israeli strike hit a Syrian town near the border with Lebanon on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, less than a week after deadly strikes on the same area.
“An Israeli aggression targeted the industrial zone in Al-Qusayr” in Homs province, the official SANA news agency said. There was no immediate news of casualties or damage.

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria mainly targeting army positions and Iran-backed fighters including from Hezbollah.
The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on Syria since it launched its war on Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.
Israeli authorities rarely comment on the strikes, but have repeatedly said they will not allow arch-enemy Iran to expand its presence in Syria.


Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 43,391

Updated 05 November 2024
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Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 43,391

  • The toll includes 17 deaths in the previous 24 hours

GAZA STRIP: The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Tuesday that at least 43,391 people have been killed in the year-old war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The toll includes 17 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 102,347 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.