Berri on Army Leadership: Either Appointment or Extension, No Third Option

Speaker of the House Nabih Berri announced that he will call for a legislative session in the first half of next month with a complete agenda, noting that if the Lebanese Forces party attends the session, "welcome, welcome," but if they do not attend, they will contradict themselves in this case. Regarding the extension of Army Commander Joseph Aoun, Berri stated in an interview with "Al-Jadeed" that "the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, Deputy Gibran Bassil, wants an appointment, while the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, wants an extension," adding, "They get upset when I say the problem is Christian to Christian." He confirmed that "the options are limited to either appointment or extension, and there is no third option, nor is there any commissioning." Regarding the events in southern Lebanon, Berri emphasized that "Hezbollah maintains the rules of engagement from day one and its objectives are military, while the Israeli enemy continues its massacres." On the humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, Berri pointed out that "what is happening in Gaza is happening in Lebanon, and if there is a violation in Gaza, there will be a violation in Lebanon, considering that what is happening in the south is for Gaza."