Bassil urges ceasefire in south even if Gaza war continues
Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has demanded “a ceasefire in south Lebanon” and “separating the matter from the developments of the war in Gaza.”
Calling for “solidarity in this critical period that the country is going through and is witnessing an unprecedented collapse,” Bassil stressed, in remarks to Kuwait’s al-Anbaa newspaper, his “support for the resistance in repelling any Israeli attack on Lebanon.”
He, however, rejected “Hezbollah’s participation in Gaza’s war amid the lack of national consensus.”
“It is clear that Hezbollah does not want a major war with Israel, and this is an appreciated and good stance, but it has meanwhile lost control of the decision to stop the war, leaving the matter in Israel’s hands. For the sake of whom has this happened? For the sake of Yahya al-Sinwar or for the sake of liberating Jerusalem?” Bassil wondered.
Urging the relevant countries to “help us achieve that,” Bassil refused to link the presidential vote to a ceasefire in south Lebanon, emphasizing that the vote should take place regardless.
Noting that he is maintaining communication with Hezbollah “at the highest levels,” Bassil revealed that he has asked Speaker Nabih Berri to support him in his endeavor to “separate the domestic Lebanese file from the war in Gaza.”
He also called for an agreement on a new president “because no one can impose anything on anyone in Lebanon.”
Source: Naharnet
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