Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri meets with the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Bassil in Ain al-Tineh on Oct. 1. (Credit: FPM page on X)
BEIRUT — After vising Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh on Tuesday, Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil emphasized the importance of unity among Lebanese people amid the escalating Israeli attacks in the country.
Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging daily fire since Oct. 8, 2023, most concentrated in southern Lebanon, until the middle of September where Israeli attacks on all Lebanese territories began escalating, killing over a thousand people in a week.
"Unity saves the homeland because the enemy is preparing for internal strife, not only to occupy our land," Bassil said after the meeting according to the FPM page on X.
This meeting's significance also stems from the fact that there have been several political disagreements between the FPM and Amal Movement, Berri's party, in recent years.
"Our visit today is first to condole with Berri on the loss of [Hezbollah's Secretary-General] Hassan Nasrallah, which is a loss for all Lebanese," Bassil added.
Nasrallah was assassinated in a violent Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut last Friday.
"We have to embrace each other and our homes are open to all. Our position on the war is well known, but today we are facing the threat of occupation again," he said.
On Tuesday, Israel said that "commando and paratroop units launched raids into Lebanon" as part of a "limited ground incursion."
"The Lebanese must remember history to know what it means for Israel to reoccupy our land," Bassil said while stressing that "confronting Israel requires a state, not just the resistance, and that we all participate in this campaign."
Finally, Bassil said that "not electing a president is a favor to Israel and all formalities fall today." He added that what is important is how "we agree while preventing someone from imposing an agreement on us."
Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022 as many parliamentary electoral sessions failed to reach a quorum for a successful election.
