Samir Jaafar, the leader of the Lebanese Forces Party, emphasized that we are facing a significant confrontation to pull Lebanon out of its current predicament, with the first step beginning with the election of the President of the Parliament. He reiterated that the Lebanese Forces will not elect President Nabih Berri, stating that attention is now focused on the conduct of the leader of the "party of lies, deception, and fraud" regarding this matter, who has long claimed that President Berri and his group "prevented them from working," labeling them as corrupt and "thugs."
He called on opposition groups, including individuals, independents, small groups, and parties, to coordinate in order to find suitable ways to activate this opposition now that they have become the majority in Parliament.
These statements were made by Jaafar during an appearance from Maarab via Zoom at a celebratory festival for the Lebanese Forces titled "We Can Only Thank You" in the municipal square of Jezzine - Ain Majdalin, in the presence of MPs Ghada Ayoub and Said Asmar, mayors, mukhtars, social and labor leaders, the coordinator of Jezzine in the Lebanese Forces, George Eid, and a crowd of locals and supporters.
Jaafar began his speech by saying, "It’s not just about going out, we can achieve it as well," especially in Jezzine, the champion and fighter. He referenced a verse, "And love is only for the first beloved," stating that Jezzine started as a fighter but lost its way for a while before returning to its first love.
He continued: "A big salute to my comrade Wissam Al-Tall, who worked and fought without any calculations, and to Said Asmar, whom I have no doubt will be the ideal MP for Jezzine because he is 'a child of the land' and understands its concerns, coexisting with them and possessing the necessary ethics to commit to his people. I also extend my salute to the longtime comrade Dr. Ghada Ayoub, who fought one of the best battles in Lebanon, with results that are clear evidence. And a bigger salute to George Eid, Joe Melhem, and the members of the coordination and heads and members of the centers for being the actual electoral machine on the ground, and a thank you to every Jezzine citizen who responded to our proposals, as they finally realized they were victims of a long fraud and rushed to correct it."
He added: "As for my heartfelt salute, I extend it to my comrade in this battle, Yusuf Al-Naqeeb, who faced all that he did in Sidon, yet remained steadfast in his positions as clear as the sword and continued the battle to the end. Although I was saddened that luck did not favor him, the road remains long, and we will fight together in the next round and win."
Jaafar confirmed that "the joy in achieving this victory is a natural right, but responsibilities are more important, so work will multiply dozens of times compared to the previous period. We need to prepare more, as Jezzine has been deprived and marked by darkness for decades, and we want to pull it out of this darkness and drape it in the white shawl it deserves, for the Lebanese Forces has passed through every place leaving behind whiteness, while they left behind only darkness."
He called on "the MPs Ayoub and Asmar and all officials to transform the coordination, and sequentially all of Jezzine, into a unified workshop aimed at highlighting the beauty of this area, especially since it is one of the most beautiful in Lebanon," noting that "the beauty of Jezzine needs care after it has withered in recent years, and we have been very saddened by that, as we have seen nothing from its previous officials except empty words that had no meaning and criticisms amid the absence of any positive action."
Assuring Jezzine’s residents that they would no longer hear similar remarks but rather would witness positive actions gradually revealing its beauty anew, Jaafar urged the "necessity of setting a hierarchy of priorities to start what can be implemented at this difficult time," hoping to not discourage their determination in the confrontation amid these dire circumstances.
He continued: "We are in the midst of a significant confrontation because the current situation requires it to pull Lebanon out of what it is mired in for the purpose of placing it on solid ground. The first step before us begins with the election of the President of the Parliament, through which we have demonstrated our consistency with all our proposals and electoral promises. For when the topic of naming the president was raised, we said it explicitly: we will not name President Nabih Berri and will choose someone who possesses specific qualifications, and this also applies to the Vice Presidency.”
Jaafar confirmed that "after the Lebanese Forces openly declared its position on this matter, all eyes are turning towards the leader of the party of lies, deception, and fraud to see how he will handle it, as he has insisted for the past four years that President Berri and his group 'prevented them from working,' claiming they are corrupt and ‘thugs.’ Therefore, it is time for the truths to crystallize and for all parties to declare their positions to see how credible they are."
He preferred to "emphasize the importance of coordination among opposition groups from individuals, independents, small groups, and parties to find the proper way to activate our opposition now that we have become as a group of opposing parties the majority in Parliament." He emphasized, "We must not follow the example of those who say, 'They did not let us,' but instead act as a majority, now that the people have placed their trust in us to recover their rights, starting from revealing the truth behind the Beirut port explosion, to restoring the rights of depositors, and all other everyday matters."
He concluded, affirming that "the Lebanese Forces will continue this difficult, arduous, and long path to the end, as it is the only way to salvation. Notably, the easier path is not always the best; sometimes it may be so, but at other times, the more difficult and arduous path is the best. Therefore, we will take it no matter how winding it may be."
The event commenced with the national anthems and a speech by Eid, who said: "It is clear that the hand of God has been present in everything that happened in Jezzine, as it is a certain result of the prayers of our martyrs' mothers and the sacrifices of our martyrs that yielded this success. Therefore, the first thanks go to them and to every war casualty and to all those who sacrificed and endured, and to every resister in the Jezzine area."
He continued: "Salute to our people in Jezzine and its surrounding areas, who regarded the battle as their personal battle, seizing the opportunity and contributing to the salvation of the homeland and the region while protecting the future of their children," calling "all the people of the region and comrades to double efforts, plan, and work towards achieving the goal and elevating the Jezzine area to a better place."
Asmar then spoke, considering that "this victory is not the result of weeks or months of work, but rather the fruit of effort exerted over many years, stemming from every drop of blood that watered this good land, and every martyr who fell so that the Jezzine area remains proud. It is also the result of every tear and pang of pain, every humiliation and oppression, and certainly from the efforts of all the officials and heads of centers who have succeeded in serving the Jezzine area; every activity, every position, and every action you have taken has led us to this victory."
He saluted the people of Jezzine for their stand, breaking the barrier of fear, and for their courage in accountability and change, especially thanking his fellow list members Engineer Wissam Al-Tall and Sidon candidate Engineer Yusuf Al-Naqeeb.
He addressed the atmosphere of fear that some are trying to propagate, saying: "Creating a climate of fear is the method of the loser and the weak. Some discordant voices promoting civil war, displacement, and other fabricated news by those who have suffered losses and faced severe accountability from voters due to their poor choices and policies that have devastated the nation and contributed to the collapse of the state, we say to these: ‘The Lebanese Forces in Jezzine, as well as in all of Lebanon, will maintain coexistence with all its components, especially in the Jezzine area, which is considered a model of coexistence, from the Reihan passing through Jezzine to Sidon. We want to return the decision to the hands of the state and its legitimate institutions and to support the monopolization of weapons in the hands of the Lebanese Army, the protector of the homeland and its unity, with the aid of the Lebanese security forces. We want Lebanon to be a prosperous homeland, and we want to recover the looted depositors' funds."
Asmar also called on all independent MPs, sovereignty-seeking MPs, and civil society MPs to stand together as a solid barrier against the collapse of the country. "The people are weary of problems and can no longer endure crises from the dollar and flour to fuel prices, the cost of living, medicine, and communication; hence, we must quickly find effective solutions."
For her part, Ayoub expressed her overwhelming happiness with the victory achieved by the Lebanese Forces in the Jezzine area, asserting that "today is the date of Jezzine's return to Lebanese sovereignty, demonstrating to the whole world the importance of sovereignty and not living under subjugation and dependency."
She added: "To this day, they are still studying and analyzing the election results in Jezzine, and their attempts to understand what happened in Jezzine will persist without avail, for this matter is not about calculations and figures, but a stance, determination, will, and faith from you in Lebanon and in the cause."
She saw that "the elections are over, and work has begun; therefore, constitutional positions are not rewards to satisfy anyone, nor are they kingdoms without accountability. The time for accountability has come, and electing a President of the Parliament cannot be through trade-offs for a seat here or there. As for the government, it will be a unifying entity with the goal of unity, not the national unity which resulted in 100 billion dollars of debt."
Ayoub emphasized that they are "committed to achieving justice for the martyrs of the Beirut Port, as we have not forgotten Alexandra, Joe, Sahar, Ralf, Charbel, and Mirai... We will work from within the Parliament on laws that ensure the realization of all your demands that are capable of restoring Lebanon to the right path, paving the way for reviving life in it."
The celebration was punctuated by Lebanese and Forces anthems performed by the Levanos choir, led by Nasrine Al-Hosni.
