Gemayel: Hezbollah Will Not be Able to Impose a President on the Lebanese

Kataeb Party President MP Sami Gemayel (Kataeb.org)
Kataeb Party President MP Sami Gemayel (Kataeb.org)
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Gemayel: Hezbollah Will Not be Able to Impose a President on the Lebanese

Kataeb Party President MP Sami Gemayel (Kataeb.org)
Kataeb Party President MP Sami Gemayel (Kataeb.org)

The head of the Lebanese Kataeb party, MP Sami Gemayel, announced turning the page on a disagreement between him and the political aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, MP Ali Hassan Khalil, declaring his acceptance of the apology after a verbal dispute between the two earlier this week.

On the other hand, he pointed to a “provocative” rhetoric, stressing that no party could impose its will on the Lebanese people and warning that such matters could lead to tension.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Gemayel voiced his rejection of a president imposed by Hezbollah, saying: “Such a president would be the president of Hezbollah’s republic and not that of all the Lebanese.”

His remarks came in the wake of a verbal dispute between him and Khalil, which involved accusations and sectarian expressions. The latter apologized on the same evening from the head of the Kataeb party, who also received a call from Berri.

Gemayel went on to denounce the “provocative behavior and attempts to establish superiority over others, amid an unprecedented economic crisis.”

He noted that Lebanon was “on the brink of collapse, and the people of all sects and regions were in a state of anger and despair,” warning that “sectarian tension and a sense of injustice and oppression” can drag Lebanon into the unknown.

“There is only one road map that can save Lebanon, which is electing a president who is able to launch a rescue plan,” Gemayel told the news conference.

Lebanon has been without a president since the term of former president Michel Aoun ended on October 31.

Touching on Hezbollah’s weapons, the Kataeb party leader said: “The problem of weapons must be put on the table for discussion, and the upcoming President of the Republic is required to have the ability to negotiate in order to restore sovereignty and solve the problem… We don’t want to use the term defensive strategy, as the issue pertains to equality and law.”



Drone Attack Targets Tawke Oilfield in Iraq's Kurdistan

General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
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Drone Attack Targets Tawke Oilfield in Iraq's Kurdistan

General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari
General view of the Sarsang oilfield operated by HKN Energy, after a drone attack, in Duhok province, Iraq, July 17, 2025. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari

A drone attack targeted an oilfield operated by Norwegian oil and gas firm DNO in Tawke, in the Zakho Administration area of northern Iraq, on Thursday, the Kurdistan region's counter-terrorism service said.

The attack is the second on the DNO-operated field since a wave of drone attacks began early this week.

DNO, which operates the Tawke and Peshkabour oilfields in the Zakho area that borders Türkiye, temporarily suspended production at the fields following explosions that caused no injuries, the counter-terrorism service said.

DNO did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

This week's drone attacks have reduced oil output from oilfields in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region by between 140,000 to 150,000 barrels per day, two energy officials said on Wednesday, as infrastructure damage forced multiple shutdowns.