Phalange: Hizbullah's Participation in Syrian War Contradiction to People-Army-Resistance Equation

The Phalange Party stated on Monday that Hizbullah's participation in Syria's conflict brings down the people-army-resistance equation, reiterating calls for abiding by the Baabda Declaration.

"The equation has been stripped of its meaning after the resistance's role has transformed from exclusively facing Israel, to acting inside Lebanon and now to serve the Syrian regime in this critical period the region is going through,” the party's political bureau said in a released statement after its weekly meeting.

It warned: “Hizbullah's involvement in the neighboring country's war exposes Lebanon to dangers that threaten its existence.”

"We call again for abiding by the Baabda Declaration as it is a condition for security and stability.”

While Lebanese authorities have officially followed the policy to distance the country from the Syrian conflict, last week, senior Hizbullah official Nabil Qauq defended the group's actions in Syria, where its elite fighters are reportedly leading the battle in parts of the Qusayr area of central Homs province near the border.

He said the group's members were carrying out "a national and moral duty" to defend Lebanese citizens living in border villages inside Syria.

The politburo revealed that it is following-up on the issue of the drone shot down by Israel on Thursday.

"We hope Lebanon is not the source of the drone to avoid a military confrontation that the country cannot bear.”

Israeli air force said on Thursday that it shot down an unmanned aircraft several miles off the coast of the northern city of Haifa after it entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.

Israel's deputy defense minister Danny Danon accused Hizbullah of sending the drone.

The party, however, denied his claims in a released terse statement.

The Phalange's political bureau reiterated calls for creating an international donors' fund to aid Lebanon in hosting Syrian refugees, and for establishing camps in border regions.

"They have become asylum-seekers not refugees and they currently make up almost 25% of the Lebanese population,” Phalange MP Samer Saade told reporters after the meeting.

He noted: "Is is a security and economic burden on the country.”

"(Phalange Party leader) Amin Gemayel tackled this issue during his talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov who stressed that his country will work towards holding an international conference to discuss aid to be given to Lebanon,” the statement revealed.

Earlier in April, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees revealed that the number of Syrian refugees who fled the turmoil in their country to Lebanon has soared to more than 400,000.

Lebanon appealed in January for $180 million from Arab countries to help it meet the Syrian refugee influx that has threatened to bring the number of the displaced to 420,000 in June.