Kanaan received by Geagea in Maarab

BEIRUT — MP Ibrahim Kanaan, a former member of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), met with head of the Lebanese Forces (LF) Samir Geagea, FPM leader Gebran Bassil's main political opponent, in Maarab on Wednesday.

Kanaan turned his back on his former Aounist party in April 2024 amid tensions with its leader over the movement's management, during a wave of departures by other prominent figures such as Jbeil MP Simon Abi Ramia, his colleague Alain Aoun, a nephew of the party's founder Michel Aoun, and the deputy speaker of Parliament, Elias Bou Saab.

Following the Maarab meeting, Kanaan told to the press he believed in "the importance of communicating with all political forces, for the good and the interest of the Lebanese."

According to him, the discussions, which were also attended by LF MP Melhem Riachi, who is, like Kanaan, an MP for Metn, focused on "elements likely to revitalize the country and restore hope to the Lebanese people."

Kanaan, quoted by the LF's official media, also expressed hope that "things will move in the right direction" regarding the issue of Hezbollah's weapons and concerns that unrest could erupt over this matter. "There are institutions and constitutional mechanisms that must be respected and adhered to," he is cited as saying.

Political discourse has been largely dominated in recent weeks by the issue of a state monopoly on arms, which revolves around specifically Hezbollah's disarmament. On Tuesday, Cabinet tasked the Lebanese Army with drafting a plan for the disarmament of all militias and armed groups in Lebanon by the end of the year. The army has been asked to submit a draft of this plan by the end of the month.