Joaquim: Hezbollah Must Respect the Will of the Lebanese People

The President of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, issued a statement saying: "As Hezbollah refuses to implement Resolution 1701 and handover the borders to the army and international forces to avoid a war that none of the Lebanese want, its use of some Lebanese border villages in the districts of Tyre, Bint Jbeil, and Marjeyoun as platforms to launch its missiles is unacceptable, as it exposes these villages to myriad dangers, at least what we witnessed, unfortunately, yesterday. Moreover, the majority of the residents of these villages do not support it, nor do they agree with its methods that threaten to displace them from their homes amid these extremely difficult financial and economic circumstances." He added: "Hezbollah's insistence on its weaponry and role is not at all a point of Lebanese consensus, and thus, at the very least, it should respect the will of those who see no benefit in what it is doing and refrain from using the villages and lands of the residents for its military purposes, which endanger their lives, savings, and livelihoods." He concluded: "The current government, specifically the Ministers of Defense and Interior, are required to take all necessary measures to prevent Hezbollah from using these villages that do not constitute a supportive environment for its weapons and role."