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Bassil Disavows Hezbollah, Blames it for Israeli Assault on Lebanon

Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil. (Reuters)
Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil. (Reuters)
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Bassil Disavows Hezbollah, Blames it for Israeli Assault on Lebanon

Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil. (Reuters)
Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil. (Reuters)

Head of the Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil announced on Tuesday that his party was no longer in alliance with Hezbollah.

In scathing remarks against the Iran-backed party to Al-Arabiya television, he said Hezbollah had relinquished Lebanon’s claim to self-defense when it opened the “support front” for Hamas in Gaza on October 8, 2023.

This weakened the party and exposed its military capabilities and rendered Lebanon completely vulnerable to Israeli assaults, he added.

Bassil’s statements are another in a slew of criticism by Lebanese officials that have blamed Hezbollah for dragging Lebanon to another conflict with Israel. They have slammed the party for taking the unilateral decision to launch the “support front” without informing official authorities.

Bassil held Hezbollah responsible for committing a strategic error when it said it would “unify arenas” in Lebanon and Gaza to champion Hamas, a fellow Iran-backed ally.

He stated that the “unity of arenas” does not benefit Lebanon, rather another – Iran.

Moreover, Bassil said Hezbollah committed another error when it prioritized Shiite interests at the expense of Lebanon’s.

“We are no longer in an alliance with the party,” he declared.

The FPM had struck the alliance with the party in 2006.

Iran is using Hezbollah and the Lebanese people, Bassil went on to say, expressing his fears over internal strife erupting in Lebanon.

“We are facing an existential threat,” he said. He also voiced concern over attemts to divide the country.

Meanwhile, the Kataeb party warned that Lebanon is enduring one of the most dangerous phases in its history that could be a turning point in shaping its future for generations to come.

In a statement after a politburo meeting, it added: “After the end of all conflicts, the Kataeb will not under any circumstances agree for the situation to return to the way it was” before the eruption of the conflict.

It will not agree to the return of the absence of the state and its authority. It will not return to a state that sells its decision-making power to countries near and far.

It will not agree to the spread of weapons outside of state authority, “which the decades have proven is the main reason for undermining the authority of the state and wronging the Lebanese people and exposing them to all forms of occupation,” added the statement.

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Preliminary Report Due from Syria Coastal Violence Probe Panel

Syrian security forces reassert control in coastal regions after unrest in Latakia and Tartus. (dpa)
Syrian security forces reassert control in coastal regions after unrest in Latakia and Tartus. (dpa)
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Preliminary Report Due from Syria Coastal Violence Probe Panel

Syrian security forces reassert control in coastal regions after unrest in Latakia and Tartus. (dpa)
Syrian security forces reassert control in coastal regions after unrest in Latakia and Tartus. (dpa)

The spokesman for Syria’s fact-finding committee investigating the recent coastal violence said on Monday the panel may request an extension of its presidential mandate, set to expire on Wednesday, due to the widening scope of its work.

Yasser al-Farhan told Asharq Al-Awsat the committee will submit a “preliminary report,” but stressed that it will not release any conclusions or recommendations until the investigation is complete.

The committee was appointed under a presidential decree and began its work on March 9 with a one-month deadline.

“That period ends on Wednesday, but the committee has not yet concluded its investigations,” Farhan said.

He noted that the panel is currently operating in the coastal city of Tartus and is moving to other locations where violations were reported.

“The committee will not publish any findings unless they are based on solid reasoning and evidence that supports the facts, characterizes the violations, and identifies suspects,” Farhan said.

“This requires analyzing and cross-checking all testimonies, assessing the legal context of the acts, and drawing clear conclusions and recommendations,” he added.

A wave of deadly violence swept through Syria’s coastal region early last month, claiming the lives of civilians from the Alawite community as well as members of the general security forces, prompting the formation of an independent investigative committee.

The attacks took place in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus and Baniyas. The government blamed pro-Assad armed groups for targeting security forces, while military and paramilitary personnel were themselves accused of killing civilians in retaliatory assaults.

In response, the Syrian presidency formed the Independent National Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding into the Coastal Incidents, comprised of legal experts. The panel announced on March 25 that it had collected dozens of testimonies but said it was still too early to release any findings.

Asked whether the committee includes representatives of victims or their families, Farhan told Asharq Al-Awsat that the panel's members are not government employees but independent legal professionals.

“Some of them live outside Syria and have worked in Europe or other regions. Others are active in documenting human rights violations and have memorandums of understanding and cooperation with the United Nations,” he said.

“Two of the members are Syrian judges, and judges are generally regarded as an independent.”

Farhan stressed that the committee acts on behalf of the victims and their families. “Its members are neutral and do not represent any single party.”

“Their work is to be close to the people,” he said, noting that the panel has met with community leaders from across the coastal region to listen to their concerns and better understand the context surrounding the unrest.