The Jaafarite mufti, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan. (Credit: National News Agency)
The Jaafarite mufti, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, issued a stern warning Wednesday against "the American and Israeli wild cards," which he said "are working to tear the region apart with fire, destruction and massacres," calling for the unity of the "Lebanese family" and for protecting Lebanon "away from political and sectarian details."
"The time has come to protect Lebanon from fire and destruction that are ravaging the heart of the region, through these American and Israeli wild cards that are seeking to produce a new Sykes-Picot through the force of fire, destruction and massacres, solely for the benefit of Washington and Tel Aviv," the Shiite religious leader said. "Lebanon is among the countries devoured by these fires, while the Lebanese government is paralyzed and absent," he added.
These statements came after the American envoy Thomas Barrack spoke of an "existential threat" to Lebanon. "If Lebanon does not move, it will return to Bilad al-Sham," the diplomat had said. Despite his attempt to clarify his remarks, this warning was widely perceived in Lebanon as a barely veiled threat of a "return" to a "Greater Syria."
The mufti also stated that "we do not need a government that does not condemn Israeli aggression," but rather "courageous national leadership; otherwise, Lebanon will be lost." "The time has come to bring together the Lebanese family," he added.
"Never has Lebanon had such a failing and negligent foreign ministry as the one today," he said, in criticism of Minister Joe Rajji, who has repeatedly called for the disarmament of Hezbollah and the exclusive holding of weapons in the hands of the Lebanese state.
These remarks come as the Israeli army continues to occupy five positions in southern Lebanon and carries out almost daily bombardments there, sparing not even the Bekaa, despite the truce that came into force in November 2024 to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Southern Syria, especially the Sweida province, is also witnessing deadly clashes between Druze and Bedouin fighters since July 13, with a bloody intervention from Islamist extremists. At the same time, the region has been shaken by the 12-day war launched in June by Israel, with U.S. support, against Iran, while the war continues in Gaza, with a toll of over 58,500 Palestinian deaths.
"The armament inherent in the national defense triptych [army, people, resistance]," which was practically abandoned in the ministerial declaration of Nawaf Salam's government and President Joseph Aoun's inauguration speech, "is not only a necessity for sovereignty, but an existential necessity for Lebanon, its unity and its independence," the mufti said.
Al-Qard al-Hassan 'has not plundered citizens'
Following the decision by the Banque du Liban (BDL), which on Monday banned banking and financial institutions from dealing with companies not licensed and sanctioned by foreign authorities, such as al-Qard al-Hassan, managed by Hezbollah, the religious leader affirmed that this institution is "safe, secure, not under the supervision of Washington," and has not plundered citizens, unlike "Lebanese commercial banks and the central bank, openly and with everyone's knowledge."
While Barrack warned Monday that any attempt at the forced disarmament of Hezbollah could "lead to civil war in Lebanon," the mufti considered that these statements "reveal the true face of Washington, a master in the art of fomenting civil wars and dismembering countries."
He finally praised Aoun, who advocates direct dialogue with Hezbollah over its arsenal, describing him as a "national guardian and constitutional figure" aware of the "existential dangers threatening the region." In the mufti's eyes, the Lebanese head of state is "an essential guarantor of sovereign interests and of what is necessary to protect the national family and the Lebanese entity."
