Received by Bassil, Hezbollah delegation says priority is 'the withdrawal of the Israeli enemy'

BEIRUT — A Hezbollah delegation led by MP Ali Fayad met Tuesday with Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Gebran Bassil to stress the need for Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon.

The delegation also met former President Michel Aoun to discuss the return of Lebanese prisoners and reconstruction of war-damaged areas.

This meeting comes a few hours ahead of a decisive Cabinet meeting expected to address the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament. The party does not reject in principle a debate on the state's monopoly over arms, but it conditions any disarmament on a prior Israeli withdrawal and the cessation of cease-fire violations, as well as the release of prisoners and a post-war reconstruction process.

In a video released Monday night, Hezbollah affirmed that resistance was “the only choice and support for the Lebanese Army.” Political contacts continued Monday night in an effort to reach a formula the government could adopt on Tuesday.

“We discussed with the FPM leader many issues, notably the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon, and we shared our views on the current and potential dangers the country is facing,” MP Fayad stressed.

He also indicated that “the greatest danger Lebanon faces is turning the conflict from a Lebanese-Israeli problem into a Lebanese-Lebanese one,” considering that “the more united the Lebanese internal stance, the better we are able to limit the risks for the country.”

Bassil also specified that “the dangers do not concern any one component or region in particular.” “We are aware that the situation is delicate and difficult, but Lebanon must not give up its interests,” he continued.

He added: “We want a single and coherent official Lebanese position, and we all hold on to the priorities, particularly the withdrawal of the Israeli enemy, the return of prisoners and the launch of reconstruction as a starting point for a resolution process to be led by the Lebanese themselves.”

He finally indicated that Hezbollah had agreed with the FPM that “the opportunity is favorable to build a state, but the current obstacle is the Israeli enemy and its aggressions, which hinder the process of recovery and state-building.”

Michel Aoun was allied with Hezbollah during his term (2016-2022) before ties between the FPM (Aounist) and the yellow party became strained. The FPM had notably strongly criticized Hezbollah's decision to open a “support front” for Hamas in Gaza on Oct.8, 2023, the day after the deadly attack by the Palestinian movement in Israel and the start of the Israeli army’s violent offensive on the enclave.

The relationship between the two former allies, who had sealed their agreement on Feb. 6, 2006, also became tense because of Hezbollah's support for a presidential bid by Sleiman Frangieh, a well-known opponent of the FPM leader (and Michel Aoun's son-in-law), Bassil.

After more than two years of presidential vacancy, Joseph Aoun was finally elected in January 2025.