Wafic Safa, head of Hezbollah's liaison unit. Screenshot from Al-Jadeed.
Hezbollah's head of the liaison unit, Wafic Safa, said Sunday regarding Lebanon’s political crisis — with the country having been without a president for over two years and a parliamentary electoral session scheduled for Thursday — that the party "has no veto on the army commander-in-chief," General Joseph Aoun, a non-declared candidate who is notably backed by the United States.
His comments were made from the site of the assassination of the party's former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, by Israel in Beirut's southern suburbs, marking 100 days since the killing on Sept. 27.
"We have already said that we have no veto," the party official said regarding General Aoun’s candidacy, whose election would require a constitutional amendment according to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Article 49 of the Constitution stipulates that judges and first-category officials (including the army chief) cannot be elected head of state during their term or within two years after their resignation or retirement. However, this article has never been strictly enforced, and according to several constitutional experts and political figures consulted by L’Orient-Le Jour, a political agreement could pave the way for Joseph Aoun's election.
"Our only veto is on Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, as he represents a project of discord and destruction for the country," Wafic Safa added. The LF leader is one of Hezbollah's most vocal political opponents.
Berri to discuss Israeli violations with Hochstein
Regarding the ceasefire, in response to a question about potential consequences if the Israeli army does not withdraw from southern Lebanon after the 60-day deadline stipulated in the agreement, Wafic Safa said that "neither the Lebanese army nor the monitoring committee has been informed of this issue," which has repeatedly surfaced in Israeli media reports in recent days.
"But after the 60-day period expires, the decision will rest with Hezbollah and the Resistance to determine the actions to take" against Israel, Safa stated.
Safa himself survived an Israeli strike on Beirut on Oct. 10.
While waiting for the expiration of the deadline at the end of January, Wafic Safa recalled, as Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem emphasized in a speech Saturday night, that "it is the responsibility of the state" to ensure the ceasefire agreement is respected and to monitor Israeli violations.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who negotiated the agreement, "will discuss Israeli violations" with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein. Hochstein also heads the committee overseeing the implementation of the agreement, which includes U.S. General Jasper Jeffers, a French military official, representatives from the Lebanese and Israeli armies, and the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
During a meeting with General Jeffers this week, Berri reportedly raised the issue of Israeli violations, humorously referencing the noise from an Israeli drone flying over Beirut.
"Hezbollah is ready to face any challenge and will be present to respond to anything that affects the morale of our people," Safa concluded, stating that the party's capabilities "have been restored" and that it is prepared to "respond to any aggression in the way it deems appropriate."
