The joint parliamentary committees held a session chaired by Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab to discuss the government's emergency plan. A debate ensued between Bou Saab and MP Elias Hankash, who objected to discussing the government's emergency plan without it being previously sent to the MPs for study. The MPs applauded MP Melhem Khalaf, who suggested turning the session into a session to elect the President of the Republic.
Lebanese Kataeb Party President and MP Sami Gemayel stated in his intervention that "Lebanon can still avoid being dragged into war by fully deploying the Lebanese army along the Lebanese borders and preventing any attempts to drag Lebanon into a war that the Lebanese do not want." He emphasized that discussions in the parliament should focus on how to avoid catastrophe rather than addressing its consequences. While thanking the government for its plan, he noted that "its existence is better than having none."
Gemayel argued that "the most important thing is to prevent a catastrophe that is not a natural disaster and cannot be addressed as ongoing war at our borders. It is not sufficient to assert that we have no ability to influence its course and to focus solely on handling its outcomes." He pointed out that "we are facing a military reality that falls within the sovereign powers of the Lebanese state. We had hoped, first, that the Prime Minister would be present among us, and secondly, that a member of the government would update us on what has been accomplished so far and what is expected to be done to avoid this catastrophe. The government's plan discusses confronting and addressing the consequences of war, while what is required is to prevent it from occurring in the first place. Instead of looking for ways to extinguish the fire in Lebanon and declaring our inability to do so, we should focus on preventing its ignition."
