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: Polio Vaccine Campaign Kicks off a day Before Expected Pause in Fighting

A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
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Gaza: Polio Vaccine Campaign Kicks off a day Before Expected Pause in Fighting

A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
A health worker administers a polio vaccine to a child at a hospital in Khan Younis, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

A campaign to inoculate children in Gaza against polio and prevent the spread of the virus began on Saturday, Gaza's Health Ministry said, as Palestinians in both the Hamas-governed enclave and the occupied West Bank reeled from Israel's ongoing military offensives.

Children in Gaza began receiving vaccines, the health ministry told a news conference, a day before the large-scale vaccine rollout and planned pause in fighting agreed to by Israel and the UN World Health Organization. The WHO confirmed the larger campaign would begin Sunday.

“There must be a ceasefire so that the teams can reach everyone targeted by this campaign,” said Dr. Yousef Abu Al-Rish, deputy health minister, describing scenes of sewage running through crowded tent camps in Gaza.

Associated Press journalists saw about 10 infants receiving vaccine doses at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis.

Israel is expected to pause some operations in Gaza on Sunday to allow health workers to administer vaccines to some 650,000 Palestinian children. Officials said the pause would last at least nine hours and is unrelated to ongoing cease-fire negotiations.

“We will vaccinate up to 10-year-olds and God willing we will be fine,” said Dr. Bassam Abu Ahmed, general coordinator of public health programs at Al-Quds University.

The vaccination campaign comes after the first polio case in 25 years in Gaza was discovered this month. Doctors concluded a 10-month-old had been partially paralyzed by a mutated strain of the virus after not being vaccinated due to fighting.

Healthcare workers in Gaza have been warning of the potential for a polio outbreak for months. The humanitarian crisis has deepened during the war that broke out after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not say how many were militants.

Hours earlier, the Health Ministry said hospitals received 89 dead on Saturday, including 26 who died in an overnight Israeli bombardment, and 205 wounded — one of the highest daily tallies in months.