Jumblat voices support to army chief after cancelled US visit
Former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat voiced Wednesday his support to Lebanese Army chief Rodolphe Haykal after U.S. senators harshly criticized him.
A scheduled visit of Haykal to the U.S. was cancelled Tuesday after U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham posted on the X platform that Haykal is "a giant setback for efforts to move Lebanon forward because of a reference to Israel as the enemy and his weak almost non-existent effort to disarm Hezbollah."
Another senator said that Haykal is "shamefully directing blame at Israel" instead of seizing the opportunity to free Lebanon "from Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists".
These posts came after the Lebanese Army condemned Israel's attacks on Lebanon and accused it of violating Lebanon's sovereignty and obstructing the deployment of the army in south Lebanon.
Jubmlat described Haykal as a patriotic person and stressed the importance of respecting the ceasefire agreement, extending the state's authority over all Lebanese territories, halting Israeli violations, and liberating the Lebanese prisoners.
Source: Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/316598 |