BEIRUT — The Lebanese government convened at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday in response to U.S. pressure to adopt a resolution on “arms exclusivity” within a defined timeframe. The meeting, attended by Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, was led by President Joseph Aoun. 

No Lebanese or non-Lebanese observer is naive enough to believe that a government decision can extinguish the flames of resistance that emerged spontaneously to repel an imperialist occupation project. The Israeli occupation entity and its supporters also firmly believe about the spontaneity of resistance.

Undoubtedly, a government that considers the weapons of resistance a violation of the constitution will allow certain countries, especially Washington and Riyadh, to criminalize any Lebanese party that cooperates, negotiates, or allies with Hezbollah on the eve of the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The truth is that the challenges of deterring Israeli aggression, freeing Lebanese prisoners, and launching the reconstruction process compel every rational person to be wary of the Zionist-American deceit and deception. 

Meanwhile, Ali al-Maqdad, a member of the Hezbollah parliamentary bloc, criticized “the media and political hype that portrayed the session as pivotal or historic.”

 Al-Maqdad explained in an interview with Sputnik Radio that “the first and most important thing is to hold pivotal sessions to discuss crucial issues such as the occupied territories, prisoners, and reconstruction.”

The Hezbollah MP asked, “Is this session necessary for Lebanon, or for the Israeli and American enemy?”  He criticized “identification with the Israeli and American rhetoric.”

For his part, another Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad noted that a cohesive Lebanese position will put an end to external pressure. However, he warned, “The worst scenario we must beware of is transforming the problem from a Lebanese-Israeli one to a Lebanese-Lebanese one.”

Fayyad made the remarks after meeting the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil.

He stated that a united Lebanese position that would oblige Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory, halt its attacks, and free the prisoners would “serve as an entry point for an exit strategy from the difficult situation the country is experiencing.” He warned that “the looming dangers are not limited to one group or one region over another.”

Besides, Fayyad emphasized the difficulty of the situation the country is experiencing, emphasizing that Lebanon will not accept compromising its interests.

The Hezbollah MP called for a unified official position that would give priority to Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese lands, release of prisoners and end of hostilities, especially since “the country is now exposed to major strategic sovereignty risks,” even existential ones.

Fayyad also noted that Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement agree that “the opportunity is ripe for building a state, but the obstacle to the issue is the Israeli occupation, which has obstructed the path to recovery and state-building.”

He explained that the movement’s reading is not far from Hezbollah’s, even regarding “the national strategy, which constitutes an approach to the issue of weapons.” 

Furthermore, Fayyad stressed the importance of holding parliamentary elections on time without any postponement.