Gemayel Says Will Paralyze Presidential Election If Candidate Supports Hezbollah’s Weapons

Samy Gemayel (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Samy Gemayel (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT

Gemayel Says Will Paralyze Presidential Election If Candidate Supports Hezbollah’s Weapons

Samy Gemayel (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Samy Gemayel (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The leader of Lebanon’s Kataeb party, Samy Gemayel, on Friday threatened to “paralyze” the Lebanese presidential election if Hezbollah’s candidate plans to “protect the weapons” of the Shiite party.

Gemayel’s threat, which was made during an address to Kataeb's 32nd general congress, will hardly be effective if he does not coordinate with the rest of Lebanon’s opposition forces.

“Today’s battle isn’t against a certain group of Lebanese. It is against the existential threat which affects Lebanese Christians and Muslims alike,” said Gemayel, adding that the fight was against a group that is seeking to destroy the country by promoting sectarian strife.

“We are witnessing a blow to the judiciary, institutions, freedom of expression and free media, and we want to preserve the freedom of our country and its identity, but we will not succeed unless we are united,” added Gemayel.

Moreover, Gemayel launched veiled criticism of Hezbollah’s Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement.

He accused the Lebanese party of handing over the country to Hezbollah under the false pretext of protecting Christians.

“We were only able to achieve the withdrawal of the Syrian army when we united in Martyrs' Square, and we will not preserve Lebanon unless we all unite,” stressed Gemayel.

Gemayel also emphasized that there is a shadow state, controlled by Hezbollah, vying for control over Lebanon.

“It is no longer possible for us to submit to the will of (Hezbollah) in Lebanon, and we call on all Lebanese to shoulder their responsibilities,” said Gemayel.

Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, when the mandate of Michel Aoun— an ally of Hezbollah — came to an end. The country has also been governed by a caretaker cabinet since May 2022, while 11 parliamentary sessions have failed to elect a president.



EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
TT

EU Urges Immediate Halt to Israel-Hezbollah War

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, left, meets with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, right, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024. (AP)

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war while on a visit to Lebanon on Sunday, as the group claimed attacks deep into Israel.  

The Israeli military said Iran-backed Hezbollah fired around 160 projectiles into Israel during the day. Some of them were intercepted but others caused damage to houses in central Israel, according to AFP images.  

A day after the health ministry said Israeli strikes on Beirut and across Lebanon killed 84 people, state media reported two strikes on Sunday on the capital's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.

Israel's military said it had attacked "headquarters" of the group "hidden within civilian structures" in south Beirut.

War between Israel and Hezbollah escalated in late September, nearly a year after the group began launching strikes in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas following that group's October 7 attack on Israel.

The conflict has killed at least 3,754 people in Lebanon since October 2023, according to the health ministry, most of them since September.  

On the Israeli side, authorities say at least 82 soldiers and 47 civilians have been killed.  

Earlier this week, US special envoy Amos Hochstein said in Lebanon that a truce deal was "within our grasp" and then headed to Israel for talks with officials there.  

In the Lebanese capital, Borrell held talks with parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of ally Hezbollah.

"We see only one possible way ahead: an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701," Borrell said.  

"Lebanon is on the brink of collapse", he warned.  

Under Resolution 1701, which ended the last Hezbollah-Israel war of 2006, Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only armed forces present in the southern border area.  

The resolution also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, and reiterated earlier calls for "disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon."