Meeting between former Presidents Amin Gemayel, Michel Sleiman, and former Prime Ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Sanioura and Tammam Salam in Gemayel's residence in Bikfaya on March 17, 2026. (Credit: Najib Mikati's official website)
BEIRUT – Former Presidents Amin Gemayel and Michel Sleiman, as well as former Prime Ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Sanioura and Tammam Salam, held a meeting at the residence of Gemayel in Bikfaya on Tuesday, during which they stressed that dragging Lebanon into the war is unacceptable, in a clear reference to Hezbollah without naming the party.
Former Presidents Michel Aoun and Emile Lahoud did not attend the meeting.
The Israeli war on Lebanon was triggered after Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel in support of Iran on March 2, ending a 15-months long cease-fire agreement which was violated by Israel on a daily basis.
"The act of dragging Lebanon into this destructive war amounts to plunging Lebanon and the Lebanese into a devastating conflict that they are neither able to endure nor bear its consequences. Such actions are unacceptable and cannot continue, as they endanger Lebanon’s national existence and the Lebanese consensus," the former Presidents and Prime Ministers noted. They stressed on a unified "Lebanese national stance, away from inciting, accusatory, or divisive rhetoric, and working together to achieve the salvation Lebanon and its people urgently need."
The participants also condemned the "escalation of Israel’s aggression against Lebanon, and its continued criminal actions across various Lebanese regions, particularly in the South, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of Beirut, including the capital itself."
"The presidents considered that the central priority must now be to save Lebanon, protect its national cohesion and shared life, and restore a free, sovereign, and independent state capable of exercising authority over all Lebanese territories," the statements reads. They added that the state should be enabled to implement government decisions and confront Israeli aggressions.
Furthermore, the presidents affirmed their support for the positions adopted by the Lebanese government, particularly the decisions and measures regarding the exclusive authority of the state over war and peace and the monopoly of arms by the Lebanese state alone.
They also confirmed their support for President Joseph Aoun's initiative, calling for negotiations with Israel to reach an agreement to halt this destructive war and achieve the "complete withdrawal of Israel from all Lebanese territories it currently occupies."
Moreover, they expressed their support for the government’s efforts and urged it to intensify and strengthen measures to assist displaced Lebanese across the country. Finally, the presidents emphasized the need to organize an Arab and international conference to assist Lebanon in overcoming its crisis.
The Israeli war on Lebanon had killed at least 912 people and injured 2,221, according to the Ministry of Health.
