Geagea says years of vacuum better than 'Axis of Defiance' president

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has accused Hezbollah of being behind the kidnap and murder of LF member Elias Hasrouni last month, noting that the incident “resembles the dialogue that the Axis of Defiance has been calling for since months.”

“They invite you to dialogue to strangle you and kill you or to stifle your principles, beliefs and freedom and force you to do what they want,” Geagea said in an annual speech commemorating the “martyrs of the Lebanese Resistance”.

“The Defiance camp is criminal par excellence,” Geagea added, reminding of “the assassination of Rafik Hariri, Bassel Fleihan, Samir Kassir, Georges Hawi, Gebran Tueini, Pierre Gemayel, Walid Eido, Antoine Ghanem, Wissam Eid, Wissam al-Hassan, Mohammed Chatah and Lokman Slim.”

He also reminded of Hezbollah’s May 7, 2008 military operation in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, accusing the party and its allies of killing more than 100 people during that campaign.

“A lot of times the road to hell is paved with good intentions and words, but in the end it remains the road to hell, that’s why we will not take it and we will shout that they shall not enter Baabda,” Geagea added.

“We are willing to bear vacuum for months and years, but we are not willing at all to bear their corruption, thefts, mismanagement and their statelet’s control of our state,” the LF leader went on to say.

“We will only accept a president who would embody our beliefs and aspirations and who would be at the level of the rescue mission that the country needs,” Geagea added.