Aoun 'will not allow' anyone to accuse South Lebanon’s Christians of 'treason'
President Joseph Aoun said Tuesday that he will not allow strike to occur in war-hit Lebanon. "Anyone attempting to fuel such a trend — whether through social media or media outlets — poses a danger to Lebanon and is committing an act worse than the Israeli attacks," he said, adding that no one can afford to endure internal strife.
"During my term, I will not allow anyone to accuse (Christian) citizens who remained steadfast in their villages and towns (in south Lebanon) of collaboration or treason," Aoun said, calling again for negotiations to end the Israeli war.
Hezbollah supporters often label those who demand the group’s disarmament as "traitors" or "collaborators," arguing that dissent during wartime weakens Lebanon and helps Israel.
Aoun has called for direct negotiations with Israel, a move also criticized by Hezbollah and its supporters who consider it a surrender and a form of normalization.
"My negotiation initiative has gained international support as it is the right path toward a solution," he said.
Mayors of several Christian towns in southern Lebanon said the Israeli military had ordered them to force out the displaced who had escaped their Shia-majority towns, during the war.
The residents of these towns refuse to evacuate, insisting they are not a party to the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on March 2 when Tehran-backed Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S.-Israeli strikes.
President Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have condemned Hezbollah's attacks, and the government later banned Hezbollah's military and security activity, in an unprecedented move as Israel retaliated to rocket fire.
Source: Naharnet
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