Kabalan warns Aoun against 'succumbing to American conditions' ahead of Ortagus visit

BEIRUT — Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Kabalan emphasized the need for President Joseph Aoun's “courage, leadership and national wisdom,” in the face of ongoing Israeli aggression on the country, and urged the government to adopt a stance that “reflects the scale of Lebanon's challenges.”

Speaking at Imam Hussein Mosque in Burj al-Barajneh in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Kabalan warned that "succumbing to American conditions would lead to the destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure and stability."

U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus is set to arrive in Beirut late Friday for her second visit since taking office and sources indicate she is expected to take a firm stance, pressing for a clear timetable for Hezbollah’s disarmament and reaffirming Washington’s support for Israeli attacks in Lebanon, as its army claims these operations are necessary to eliminate potential threats.

Kabalan stressed the "importance of forming a cohesive national policy to protect Lebanon from regional instability and economic turmoil," which appears to be what Lebanese officials are planning to do, by presenting a united front to push back Israeli dominance.

Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri have agreed to demand an Israeli withdrawal from remaining occupied territories in southern Lebanon, the release of Lebanese detainees in Israel, and an end to violations and attacks on Lebanese territory, according to information shared with L'Orient Today.

Kabalan cited Syria as an example of how Israel takes advantage of domestic divisions in its neighboring countries. "When Syria fell from the equation of strategic balance, Israel pushed towards its centers of power, grinding them without mercy.”

On Dec. 8, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown and fled to Russia after a lightning offensive spearheaded by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) wrested city after city from his control, until they reached Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor that relies on a network of sources inside Syria, has reported near-daily Israeli military incursions into southern Syria beyond the demarcation line since Assad's fall.

"These are historic moments, and there must be a strong and firm political settlement between the Islamic and Arab world powers," Kalaban said. "I specifically mention the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the State of Turkey, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Iraq, to form a force capable of reorganizing and protecting the region.

“Without a real political settlement between these powers, we face a strategic and existential catastrophe, with no winners except the Americans and Israelis,” Kabalan said.

“Lebanon must focus on confirming, organizing, developing, and utilizing its own strength, not eliminating it," he added, "because the issue is one of protecting Lebanon, not delivering its head to Tel Aviv amidst the Zionist insistence on liquidating Lebanon.”