Gebran Bassil during his tour in Akkar. (Credit: FPM)
It is a series of positions launched on Sunday by the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, during a tour in Akkar, in the far north of the country. During a visit to the Orthodox House in the village of Miniara (Akkar), the Batroun MP said he was “against any policy that leads to war.”
This is not the first time that the Hezbollah ally has taken a stand against the fighting currently taking place between the party and Israel in southern Lebanon, hostilities that broke out on Oct. 8, 2023 after the war in Gaza began a day earlier. Bassil, however, moderated his position yesterday, saying that Lebanon "is threatened by Israel."
"It is true that we are all working in Lebanon to prevent war, but this does not mean that we are ready to declare ourselves defeated," he continued. He added: "Whether there is war or not, Lebanon will emerge victorious even if the price will be high."
In the village of Bireh, Bassil stressed that "in 2006, during the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, we all faced it, knowing that today, we have on our soil two million displaced and that we are without a president.” “But if Israel decides to launch a large-scale war against us, we will necessarily be united against the foreigner,” he added.
Bassil's tour did not lack political messages, particularly related to the presidential issue. In a meeting organized in the village of Akkar al-Atika, he stressed that "our unity remains essential at times of major choices that affect the unity and sovereignty of the country," believing that "refusing internal dialogue is unacceptable, whatever our differences may be."
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
