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Lebanon in 2023: Vacuum and Fears of Destructive War with Israel

Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqoura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (AFP)
Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqoura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (AFP)
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Lebanon in 2023: Vacuum and Fears of Destructive War with Israel

Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqoura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (AFP)
Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqoura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (AFP)

The developments in Lebanon in 2023 consolidated the “caretaker state” amid the ongoing vacuum in the presidency.

The country’s top post has been vacant since October 2022 and with the absence of a president, state institutions have started to operate in a caretaker capacity or have had the terms of their chiefs extended.

The crippling financial and economic crisis, which erupted in 2019, persisted with authorities failing to lift a finger to address it.

Politicians have tied any effort to address pending problems to the election of a president, however, they failed to reach a breakthrough in 2023 in spite of internal and foreign initiatives.

The “Shiite duo” of Hezbollah and the Amal movement, headed by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, remains committed to its candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, leaders of the Marada Movement.

The opposition abandoned its candidate Michel Moawad in return for a deal with the Free Patriotic Movement over the election of former minister Jihad Azour. However, none of these moves led to any progress in resolving the impasse.

Paris had also favored Franjieh’s election, but it backed down after meeting with the members of the so-called international quintet that includes Saudi Arabia, the United States, Qatar and Egypt. The quintet, which also includes France, agreed on nominating another candidate.

As it stands, army commander General Jospeh Aoun is favorite to be elected even after his term as head of the military was extended for another year in 2023.

Observers have tied any breakthrough in the presidency to the war on Gaza, speculating that Lebanon may be part of a broader settlement in the region.

Vacuum spreads

The vacuum in the presidency spread to other state institutions. The government continues to operate in a caretaker capacity and legislative work has come to a standstill.

The majority of Christian MPs refuse to allow parliament to resume normal work before a president – who is always a Maronite Christian – is elected. They charge that amid a presidential vacuum, the parliament’s work must be restricted to electing a new head of state above anything else.

The vacuum has prevented the government from completing crucial military, security, judicial and financial appointments.

General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim retired in March, leading to the appointment of the most senior officer, Elias al-Baysari, as his successor in an acting capacity. Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh’s term ended in August, with his first deputy being named as his successor, but in an acting capacity.

Most recently and after much political squabbling, the parliament extended the terms of the leaders of security and military agencies for a whole year.

Back in May, parliament was forced – for the second time in as many years – to postpone for another year municipal elections.

Syrian refugees

The Syrian refugee file continued to fester in Lebanon. In October, the tensions between refugees and Lebanese boiled over with clashes erupting in the Mount Lebanon and northern regions. A number of people were killed and injured in the unrest.

Calls had mounted in 2022 for the return of the refugees to their home country given the hefty economic and financial price Lebanon continues to pay in hosting them.

The army has since intensified its border control measures to prevent the illegal entry of Syrians into Lebanon. The Interior Ministry has also cracked down on illegal refugees in the country.

Gas file

Lebanon was dealt a crushing blow in October with the announcement that no gas was found in offshore Block 9.

The block was the subject of a heated dispute between Lebanon and Israel. It was resolved through American mediation last year.

The Energy Ministry has sought to assure the Lebanese that gas may be found in other offshore blocks.

On the verge of war

Lebanon was plunged in yet another crisis with the eruption of Israel’s war on Gaza in October. Hezbollah has dragged Lebanon into the conflict by launching attacks against Israel from the South.

The clashes in the South are gradually escalating. Palestinian and Lebanese groups have also joined the fight alongside Hezbollah, which has so far lost over a hundred fighters.

There are fears that Israel may expand its war on Gaza into Lebanon.

Several international envoys have visited Lebanon to urge Hezbollah to cease its operations and withdraw to the region north of the Litani River in line with United Nations Security Council 1701 that helped end the last war between the Iran-backed party and Israel in 2006.

Hezbollah has remained unyielding in its position, saying it will implement the resolution once the war on Gaza is over.

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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Jamal Mustafa: Saddam and Other Iraqi Officials Headed to the Gallows with Heads Held High

Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saddam Hussein’s entourage never expected that they would one day find themselves in jail. It never occurred to them that the American military machine would use all of its might to oust Saddam’s regime and overthrow the ruling party and army. They never believed that forces allied to Iran would assume positions of power in the new regime.

Times changed and Saddam, who controlled the fate of the nation and its people, found himself in prison where he counted the days until his execution. The man was unyielding until his last breath and his will remained unbroken.

The men who made up the Revolutionary Command Council or government soon found themselves in prison. They were interrogated by the Americans and Iraqis and a death sentence was always going to be their fate.

In the second installment of his interview to Asharq Al-Awsat, Dr. Jamal Mustafa al-Sultan, late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law and second secretary, recalled the execution of his colleagues and relatives. He also recalled how he married Hala, the youngest of Saddam’s daughters, and how the late president acted around his family, away from state affairs.

Other officials who were held along with Saddam included “Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan, my uncle and member of the Revolutionary Command Council Ali Hussein al-Majid, my other uncle Abed Hassan al-Majid, head of the Revolutionary Command Council Awad al-Bandar, Saddam’s half-brother Barzan Ibrahim al-Hassan, Secretary Abed Hammoud and aide to the intelligence chief Farouk Hijazi,” said Mustafa.

He showed Asharq Al-Awsat a video that recently came to light of Khodair al-Khozaei, the former vice president during the American occupation. “In it, he said that he saw no justification for the death sentence against Abed Hammoud. Most dangerous of all, he confessed that he visited Iran and consulted with a judicial official, who encouraged him to sign the death sentence, which he did,” added Mustafa.

“The truth is that we sensed from the beginning that our trial was a means of revenge acting at Iran’s orders. One day, Abed Hammoud was informed that he was going to be moved to hospital and later that day the guards informed us that he was executed,” he continued.

“Mr. President (Saddam) expected to be executed. The truth is that his very existence, whether in jail or otherwise, was a source of concern for them. I can firmly attest that the members of the leadership bravely faced their death sentence. None of them showed any weakness or faltered,” he revealed.

He recalled the day they informed Barzan and Awad that they were going to be executed. “I was working out with al-Bandar when we received the news. I am not exaggerating when I say that he maintained his optimism even in that moment. They were executed the next day. Days later, I learned that Abed Hassan al-Majid, Farouk Hijazi and Hadi Hassan, an intelligence officer, were executed,” Mustafa said.

“Let me tell you what used to happen. One day, they came up with false charges that before the US occupation, I gave Mr. Khamis al-Khanjar (a Sunni politician) a sum of 250,000 dollars. Of course, the charge is baseless. They told me that I would remain in jail for life if I did not confess to the charge. I refused and told them that I enjoyed normal relations with Khanjar,” he went on to say.

“They later came up with a different scenario. They told me that they would take me to the Iraqi embassy in Jordan if I confessed to the charge and that I would late be released in Amman with a hefty sum of money. I told them that I would reject whatever they have to offer because I would not abandon my values to betray Khanjar, who was a friend,” he stated.

“They later accused me of complicity in the draining of the Mesopotamian Marshes, which I had nothing to do with,” he added.

Saddam Hussein with his daughter Hala in this undated photo. (Getty Images)

First call after Saddam’s execution

Mustafa recalled the first telephone call he had with his wife Hala and her mother, Sajida Khairallah Talfah, right after Saddam’s execution. “Five days after Mr. President’s martyrdom, I contacted my family. I spoke with my wife, and she was in very good spirits. She had very high faith and patience. I asked her about her mother, and she reassured me that she was also doing very well despite the pain,” he said.

“I pray that Gold Almighty will give her health and a long life. We have always derived our strength from her. My mother-in-law lost her two sons, Uday and Qusay, and then her husband. She had played a major role in supporting her husband from the beginning of his struggle. She always used to support him and stood by him throughout his career,” he remarked.

First meetings with Saddam

Mustafa recalled the early days of his meeting with Saddam. “They started when I began working for his special guard. That was when I first met him. Like most Iraqis and Arabs, I believed that he would be a difficult person, but the truth is that I saw him as a paternal figure,” he added. “When you work with him, you begin to develop a different opinion than the public impression. He was a very paternal figure.”

During their first meeting, they learned that they came from the same tribe and were distant cousins.

“I stayed by Mr. President’s side for around 20 years. I started off as part of his personal guard and he then tasked me with people’s affairs, meaning seeing to their needs and addressing their problems. He was very concerned with the people’s affairs and refused any one of them to be wronged. The truth is that many laws were amended or changed at the time following complaints from the people,” he revealed.

“There were two telephones at Mr. President’s office, and both were connected to my office. Whoever had a problem could call the president through the citizens’ line. I used to answer their calls and listen to their problems and set an appointment with the president. Sometimes I used to ask the caller to come in person with their request so that their problem could be tackled. Sometimes Mr. President would interject on the call to ask about the issue and would request to talk to the citizen on the line,” Mustafa said.

“He would listen to the person’s grievance and tell him to head to the dedicated office to tackle the issue. (...) So we used to receive hundreds of citizens every week to solve their problems. Mr. President was very concerned about these issues,” he stressed. “I have never met another person like him. He would listen, care and then come up with a solution.”

President’s son-in-law

Asharq Al-Awsat asked Mustafa about when he asked Hala to marry him. “It was in 1994. As is the tradition in Iraq, I headed with my uncles to Saddam’s family to ask her hand in marriage,” he said. “One of my uncles made the request to Mr. President on my behalf and he agreed and welcomed it.”

“A judge was summoned immediately for the ceremony, and we were married. We had lunch at the president’s house that same day. I first met Hala on September 12, and we were married on September 26. It was a short engagement in line with tradition.”

“Mr. President used to separate state affairs from his relationship with his family. His work was completely separate from family, which had nothing to do with political or state affairs. It never intervened in those issues. Mr. President was a man of state when he was doing his job, and a father when he came home. He treated his family as if he were its father – the perfect father. Every family wishes to have a father that can measure up to him because he looked after all of his children and all of his relatives,” Mustafa said.

“When he sat down to the dinner table, he himself used to serve his own food and ask his children about their day. He would serve them food and generally cared very much for them. The state is one thing and family is another. At the same time, he acted as a father to all Iraqis. He treated them fairly. This is Saddam Hussein,” stressed Mustafa. “He was always keen that Iraqis be treated justly and that none of them be wronged. He was also very firm with his children if they made any mistake.”

Saddam’s hobbies

Saddam was a “very traditional Arab man. He loved traditional Arab and Iraqi dishes. He himself used to cook his own version of the traditional Iraqi dish al-Habeet. (...) He also loved seafood and would cook the Masgouf fish dish himself,” Mustafa told Asharq Al-Awsat.

His hobbies included horseback riding, hunting, swimming and sharpshooting. “Occasionally, before heading to the front to fight against Iran, he would visit the al-Amarah region, where gazelle and geese are abundant, to hunt. As circumstances became more challenging, he limited himself to fishing, which he did regularly,” he added.

He was a skilled shooter from his youth. “Generally, growing up in a tribe, children are taught at a young age how to become a good shooter. This is part of our upbringing. He was also an avid reader. He was always reading something,” Mustafa said of Saddam.