Geagea to Qassem: Find an impartial mediator to compel Israel to stop its aggression

The head of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, on Saturday criticized on X the remarks of Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem, who had accused the United States the day before of not being an impartial mediator but rather "the instigators of the aggression" against Lebanon.

"Sheikh Naim Qassem declared that the United States is not an impartial mediator, but rather the main instigator of the aggression. Sheikh Naim, find us an impartial mediator capable of compelling Israel to put an end to its acts of aggression against Lebanon and withdraw its army from our territory, and we will be grateful to you," wrote Geagea.

In a speech given on Friday, Qassem said, "The United States claims to act in Lebanon to resolve the problem, but they are not an impartial mediator; they are rather the instigators of the aggression and its expansion."

The United States is pressuring the Beirut government to move more quickly on the issue of the monopoly on weapons, after having welcomed last September a plan drawn up by the army to disarm militias, mainly that of Hezbollah.

Since the cease-fire agreement took effect on Nov. 27, 2024, Israeli attacks have continued in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa.

Hezbollah, which does not respond to these attacks, still refuses to negotiate with the government the dismantling of its arsenal as long as Israel does not stop its strikes and its occupation of at least six points on Lebanese territory.

'Path to a solution'

Geagea also commented on the options Lebanon is considering to address the pressure it is under in order to avoid an Israeli military escalation.

According to information obtained by L’Orient-Le Jour, Lebanese authorities have reportedly succeeded in expanding the cease-fire monitoring mechanism to include civilian figures, as proposed by U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus during his last visit.

Addressing President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Geagea emphasized that “the question is not whether Lebanon will be represented by military or civilians within the ‘mechanism’ or elsewhere, but rather to make the fundamental decision that is incumbent upon the state: to dissolve the illegal military and security organizations throughout Lebanese territory.”

“If you make this decision,” he added, “we will have embarked on the path to a solution, whether with military, civilian, or other representatives.”

He thus considered that "if this decision is not taken in an effective and practical manner, everything else will be a waste of time, very precious time for Lebanon and the Lebanese to create a real state, establish lasting stability, get Israel out of Lebanon, return to the cease-fire agreement and delimit the land and sea border with Syria."