BEIRUT — Remarks by Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah's liaison unit, on Sunday sparked widespread backlash among opponents of the group, particularly Lebanese Forces (LF) MPs. Safa's comments, which claimed Hezbollah held a veto over Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, were met with sharp criticism.

Safa said that Geagea represented a "project of discord and destruction for the country." 

Lebanon has been without a president for more than two years, with repeated electoral sessions failing to result in a successful election. After over a year of delay, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri called for a new session, scheduled for Jan. 9, one day after the cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect.

In response to Safa's comments, LF spokesperson Charles Jabbour took to X, calling Hezbollah the "destructive project" that has "destroyed Lebanon again and again and killed the Lebanese with its losing Iranian wars."

"One of the signs of the era of demons is that an Iranian faction that settles in Lebanon by the force of Iranian terrorism allows itself to veto a Lebanese presidential candidate," Jabbour continued.

"This thug should be arrested and prosecuted," he said in reference to Safa.

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Hezbollah's only veto for the presidency is against Samir Geagea, says Wafic Safa

LF leader Samir Geagea's wife, MP Sethrida Geagea, also reacted sharply. On X, she asked, "Where is Samir Geagea's sedition? Is it in welcoming your supportive environment in the home of the Lebanese Forces and in its strongholds from Bsharri and Deir al-Ahmar to the rest of Mount Lebanon?" Her comment referenced those internally displaced by the recent war in Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel.

She went on to ask, "Is Samir Geagea a war project in the country? Or is the assassination of [former Prime Minister] Rafik Hariri and the other martyrs of the Cedar Revolution [a series of demonstrations in 2005 that led to the end of the Syrian tutelage over Lebanon] the clear embodiment of your declared war on the free people of the country?"

Hezbollah and the Syrian regime were accused of being behind the 2005 assassinations of politicians and journalists who opposed Syria's influence in Lebanon, including the assassination of Hariri. 

"Wafiq Safa, wake up, the time for you to raise your vetoes in the face of others is over," she concluded.

Lebanese Forces MPs outraged

Several other LF MPs also condemned Safa's remarks. MP Razi al-Hage declared: "The clock will not turn back ... the era of the state has arrived ... and the time of threats and vetoes is over."

Meanwhile, the former head of the LF's foreign relations department, Richard Kouyoumjian, said, "The only veto Hezbollah has in Lebanon is on the project of establishing a real state. Samir Geagea honors those who believe in the state, sovereignty, diversity and freedom, and you are not one of them. Don't even utter his name."

On Monday, the Renewal bloc, part of the 'opposition,' (aligned with LF) issued a statement calling Safa’s remarks a sign that Hezbollah was attempting to cover up its continuous disruption of Lebanon’s constitution. The bloc accused the group of making threats, stirring up strife and distracting the Lebanese with verbal clashes, according to the state-run National News Agency.

"It would have been more appropriate for the party, after the disaster it caused with the war, to reflect, learn and reconnect with its Lebanese identity like any component in this country. Instead, it insists on its behavior that contradicts the meaning of Lebanon as a pluralistic and open country, and the concept of the state and institutions. Enough is enough! The era of terrorizing the Lebanese is over," the bloc said.

The Sovereign Front for Lebanon bloc will hold an extraordinary meeting today to address Hezbollah's comments on Geagea.

Following a meeting of the Sovereign Front for Lebanon bloc to discuss Safa's comments, politician Elie Mahfoud, a member of the group, stated, "No political component, no matter how large, has the right to prevent or prohibit any of the rights guaranteed by the Lebanese democratic system.”

He also called for “a Lebanese consensus that transcends partisanship and sectarianism to confront the danger" posed by Hezbollah.

“What is needed today is a Lebanese front that includes Christians and Muslims to stand up to the Iranian threat that endangers Lebanon's sovereignty and stability,” he added.