The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil. (Credit: NNA)
The president of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM, Aounist), Gebran Bassil, stated on Tuesday in an interview with the Saudi channels al-Arabiya and al-Hadath that his party is "not in a situation of alliance" with Hezbollah, warning against the "real risks of internal unrest" that Lebanon is facing.
In this interview, Mr. Bassil affirmed that Hezbollah "has removed Lebanon's pretext of self-defense" against Israel by opening a front of support for Gaza on Oct. 8, 2023, following Hamas's deadly attack and the start of the Israeli offensive on the Palestinian enclave. The FPM "disagrees with Hezbollah" on the support for Gaza, he added, emphasizing that the party has since "weakened" and has "contributed to the weakening of Lebanon."
In this context, he criticized his former ally, with whom he forged a political agreement in Feb. 2006, for having made a "strategic error" with its "unity of fronts" policy of resistance, which includes Iranian proxies in the region, particularly Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and pro-Iranian militias in Iraq. This policy "favors other countries at the expense of Lebanon," he said, just days after outgoing Lebanese Prime Minister Nagib Mikati openly accused Iran of interference in Lebanese affairs and of "attempting to impose tutelage."
Mr. Mikati was reacting to statements by the Iranian Parliament Speaker, who had claimed, then denied, in an interview with Le Figaro, that Tehran was ready to negotiate on the future of South Lebanon. "Iran should fight Israel directly, and not through another party," added the MP from Batroun.
"Existential" threat
Mr. Bassil further stated that the FPM he leads "is not in a situation of alliance with Hezbollah." He also warned of the "real danger of internal unrest and an existential threat" facing Lebanon, as tensions occasionally accompany the reception of more than a million displaced people from areas bombed by Israel, mostly Shiites.
On Monday, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu had already warned of the risk of an "imminent civil war" in Lebanon, during an interview on the French channel LCI. He cited, in support of his claims, the displaced populations, the "very strong interfaith dynamics," and the "weakening of Hezbollah, which is good news, we won't say otherwise." "But you can clearly see that Lebanon could completely collapse even more than it already has," he added.
Relations between the two former allies have become strained since, on the one hand, the beginning of the Gaza war, with Gebran Bassil repeatedly criticizing Hezbollah's decision to also enter the conflict, and on the other hand, because of the party's open support for a presidential candidacy of Sleiman Frangieh, the leader of the Marada and political rival of the FPM leader.
Regarding the presidency, in a country without a head of state for almost two years, Gebran Bassil said he had "proposed several names" to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, once again ruling out the possibility of a candidacy by the army chief, Joseph Aoun. The latter "does not have a project for Lebanon and does not unite the Lebanese," said the MP from Batroun.
