Rifi Urges 'Popular, Political Action', Vows to Confront 'Iranian Hegemony'

Resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi announced Friday that the confrontation against what he called “the Iranian hegemony over Lebanon will continue,” even after the election of a new president and the designation of a new premier.

“Nothing will deter us from engaging in this confrontation, because Lebanon's fate is now at risk,” Rifi said via Twitter, posting excerpts of an interview with As Safir newspaper.

He called for “popular and political action to protect the violated constitution and the Taef Accord,” lamenting that “the constitution is being paralyzed, presidents are being appointed, and the parliament's role is being usurped.”

“On March 14, (2005) the Lebanese voiced their stance and authorized their leaders to fight the battle of the state in the face of the statelet, and we cannot renounce this historic authorization,” Rifi added.

“Surrender and despair are not present in our dictionary and we will continue the path with our people,” he vowed.

“Now more than ever, we will adhere to the State, the exclusive presence of arms in the hands of the security forces, the international resolutions, and the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, and anyone who gives up on these issues will be held responsible,” Rifi went on to say.

“Together we will defend Lebanon and its Arab identity and we will not accept that it be turned into a subordinate to (Iran's) Vilayat-e Faqih or that the representative of (Iran's supreme guide) be able to control the State, decide the identity of its president, or form its government,” the resigned minister vowed.

He added: “We will not allow the destruction of our ties with the Arab world for the sake of the Iranian expansionist scheme. This is the Lebanese republic and we won't accept that it be turned into the republic of the supreme guide.”

Rifi has fiercely opposed the election of Aoun or Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh as president, citing their close ties with Iran-backed Hizbullah and the Syrian regime.

Aoun was elected president on Monday after receiving key support for his nomination from al-Mustaqbal Movement leader Saad Hariri, who has been named Prime Minister-designate.

Rifi, who was once part of Hariri's Mustaqbal Movement, launched a major challenge to Hariri's position as the leader of Lebanon's Sunni community in June 2016, running a rival list that won the municipal elections in the northern city of Tripoli.

Hariri's nomination and Aoun's election have raised hopes that Lebanon can begin tackling challenges including a stagnant economy, a moribund political class and the influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.

In a sign that Hariri's task ahead might not be easy, Hizbullah's MPs declined to endorse him for the prime minister post, even though his nomination was all-but-assured.

Hariri is likely to struggle with his government's policy statement, which will have to make reference to Israel, as well as the war in Syria, both potential flashpoints with Hizbullah.

The process of forming a government could take months, with horsetrading likely to revolve around the distribution of key posts like the interior, defense and energy ministries.