The Lebanese prime minister during the last war with Israel in 2006 told the BBC that his country had been let down by the international community.
Fouad Siniora said it was unacceptable to let Lebanon fall apart and that there was a lack of initiative when it came to restoring peace. "We are now in a very difficult situation that requires serious efforts on the local, Arab and international sides. "You can push things to the brink of collapse, sometimes without any understanding of what it means later. "This was done at a time when the American government was obsessed with elections. "And we cannot have a president elected because some groups in the country, particularly Hezbollah, claim they want a president who won't stab this group in the back," Siniora said. The last war between Lebanon and Israel, nearly 20 years ago, began when Hezbollah fighters crossed the border and attacked Israeli soldiers. Two were kidnapped and three were killed, sparking a months-long conflict. The next day, Siniora distanced himself from what happened in an official Lebanese government statement. He believes the country's current leaders have let their people down by not doing the same. "This government did not do what my government did that day. My government stated very clearly and categorically that it knew nothing about Hezbollah's plans, nothing about crossing the Blue Line on the border and kidnapping and killing Israeli soldiers. "This time, the Lebanese government did nothing. The advantage of what we did is that we created distance between the Lebanese government and Lebanon, on the one hand, and Hezbollah on the other," he explained.
Siniora is unwavering in his assessment of Lebanon's lost sovereignty. "Lebanon as a state has been effectively taken over by Hezbollah, and Iran is behind Hezbollah. "The weapons that Hezbollah had are no longer aimed at Israel, but at home, and Iran has used them as a means of interference in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Lebanon cannot allow itself to be drawn into such a war." Siniora was also one of the architects of UN Resolution 1701, the 2006 resolution to end the war. The conditions included keeping a swath of southern Lebanon, south of the prominent Litani River, free of Hezbollah fighters and weapons as a buffer zone between the two sides. Despite the deployment of UN peacekeeping forces Unifil and the presence of the Lebanese Army, this did not happen. Hezbollah's people and military infrastructure remained entrenched in the area. This vacuum at the top of the Lebanese political system makes Hezbollah's influence in the country particularly difficult to control. Lebanon has been without a properly functioning government since its last elections in 2022, led instead by a caretaker government. When President Michel Aoun's term ended almost two years ago, lawmakers could not agree on his successor and the post remains vacant. Many Lebanese believe there is a lack of leadership. Siniora has also been clear that the Lebanese conflict should not be closely linked to the year-long war in Gaza. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited the region's capital and called for a simultaneous ceasefire in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. "Since October 2023, the situation has dragged on and gotten worse. "There were many ways to separate the Lebanese situation from Gaza. Dealing with Gaza is very important from a national and Arab perspective," Siniora said. "But especially now, Lebanon basically cannot afford to intervene in such issues. "Given that 2.2 million Palestinians are homeless and there is destruction throughout Gaza, it is not wise to continue to link the Lebanese situation with Gaza."
Post a Comment