Lebanon’s Geagea: Hariri Resigned because Govt. was Prevented from Functioning

Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea. (NNA)
Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea. (NNA)
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Lebanon’s Geagea: Hariri Resigned because Govt. was Prevented from Functioning

Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea. (NNA)
Head of the Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea. (NNA)

Head of the Lebanese Samir Geagea voiced on Saturday his support for Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s decision to resign, wondering what took him so long.

He said: “He stepped down because the government was not able to practice its authority as was expected of it.”

“The developments of the past eight months left no room for someone to continue on respecting themselves,” he added.

A “shadow government” has been operating instead of the actual cabinet, explained Geagea, which prompted Hariri to take action against it.

The actual government has not been able to take decisions, he stated.

The army, for example, headed towards waging the battle against ISIS in the northeastern border region of Arsal, but “Hezbollah” exploited the battle for its interest, he explained.

The Iranian-backed party usurped the army’s victory to hold negotiations with the ISIS terror group against the interests of the Lebanese people and in favor of issues that have nothing to do with Lebanon, continued the LF chief.

“How do you therefore expect the head of the government to continue in such circumstances?” he wondered.

“For seven months, some ministers have made visits to Syria and met with officials from the Syrian regime as if there is a state in Syria, while in fact it is run by Iranian, Turkish, Jordanian, American and Russian forces,” he said.

“At the same time, they are pressuring the government to appoint an ambassador for Lebanon in Syria. Who will he present his credentials to? There is no state in Syria,” he added.

The only solution to the government crisis lies in President Michel Aoun calling for dialogue talks, stressed Geagea.

The only article of the talks should be setting a roadmap on how to transition from a semi-state to an actual state and everything that this entails, he emphasized.

“Any other alternative will keep us sedated while the disease continues to eat away at Lebanon,” he warned.

“Why should we continue to tolerate boycotts, sanctions, abuse of funds and the loss of tourists and investments?” he asked.

“Why should we continue to tolerate this for the sake of so-called golden equations, which are in fact wooden and destructive as evidenced by where they have led us,” he stressed.

“The only equation we have is that of the Lebanese people and Lebanese state that is ruled by the constitution and Lebanese laws,” he added.

Hariri resigned on Saturday in protest against Iran’s continued meddling in Lebanese internal affairs through its proxy “Hezbollah.”



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 29

A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill at Least 29

A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer
A Palestinian girl, wounded in an Israeli strike that killed people, who gathered to collect water from a distribution point, according to medics, receives treatment at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli airstrikes on Sunday killed at least 29 Palestinians, including six children near a water distribution point.

The attacks came with apparent deadlock in a week of indirect talks in Qatar between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas for a ceasefire in the territory.

Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that Gaza City was hit by several strikes overnight and in the early morning, killing eight, "including women and children" and wounding others.

An Israeli airstrike hit a family home near the Nuseirat refugee camp, south of Gaza City, resulting in "10 martyrs and several injured", Bassal said.

In central Gaza, six children were among eight people killed when a drone "hit a potable water distribution point in an area for displaced people" in the Nuseirat camp, he added.

Several other people were wounded, he said.

In the territory's south, three people were killed when Israeli jets hit a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in the coastal Al-Mawasi area, according to the civil defense spokesman.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has recently intensified its operations across Gaza, more than 21 months into the war triggered by Hamas's October 2023 attack.

On Saturday, the military said fighter jets had hit more than 35 "Hamas terror targets" around Beit Hanun in northern Gaza.

The vast majority of Gaza's population of more than two million people have been displaced at least once during the war, which has created dire humanitarian conditions in the territory.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify tolls and details provided by the civil defense agency and other parties.