The head of the "Free Patriotic Movement," Deputy Gebran Bassil, stated after the Mass for the Martyrs of October 13 that "this date represents a military defeat without a signature and is a day etched in dignity and marked by betrayal, as betrayal defines the traitor. Look at how they have treated us and others over the past six years." Bassil continued, saying that "October 13 is the victory of the foreigner over the national son and the militia over the army; therefore, Lebanon lived in humiliation and guardianship for 15 years. This date marks the beginning of political resistance to regain freedom, sovereignty, and independence. We alone paid the price for the international circumstances to preserve the dignity of the Lebanese and their right to freedom, sovereignty, and independence. On October 13, 2022, we invested the international situation to protect the wealth and rights of the Lebanese, and on October 13, Aoun announced Lebanon's approval of the gas deal and the maritime border demarcation."
He said: "The faces that conspired on October 13 militarily wore the mask of the economic conspiracy on October 17, and the goal is the same: to overthrow legitimacy, to overthrow Baabda, and consequently to protect the corruption that consumed the state's money and the people's wealth." He added: "Today, the conspiracy that targeted us, the resistance, and Lebanon, impoverishing its people, has been revealed, and the planners abroad have been exposed through Shankar, who has a permanent grudge against Lebanon, and the executors inside have been revealed by the governor of Lebanon, who organized a conspiracy to cut dollars from the market during the period of October 17. He smuggled bank funds and some influencers and flooded the market with lira while smuggling in dollars. To this day, the protective system for the governor of Lebanon prevents the fair judge from prosecuting him and the trusted security forces from arresting him, and the governor of Lebanon still today collects dollars from the market at above the price to prevent its decrease and spoil the joy of the Lebanese with the achievement of the maritime border agreement, issuing decrees and regulations outside the law like him."
Bassil emphasized: "We promised you, as we emerged from the military October 13 with our dignity and General Aoun returned stronger in Lebanon, we will emerge from the economic October 13 with our integrity, and General Aoun will return stronger to Rabieh, and God willing, the country will emerge stronger than before. The confrontation means completing the forensic audit, and we are waiting for the first report that was supposed to be released two weeks ago, and it seems excuses have begun. The confrontation means arresting the real criminals behind the Beirut port explosion, not the honest employees, and it means catching the owners of financial crimes. The governor of the central bank cannot be an international thief wanted by seven countries in the world and evading justice in Lebanon while still controlling the national currency's price and being responsible for the gold reserve."
He continued: "I and all Lebanese do not believe that when we can defeat Israel and pull Line 23 from its claws, and the Qana field, we cannot triumph over 'a bunch of corrupt' individuals whose value is based on the dollars they stole from the pockets of the people. The victory of the maritime borders does not replace the victory over corruption nor absolve us from the reforms. It is true that our team has achieved a significant accomplishment for Lebanon, not only regarding maritime borders but also regarding oil wealth, and most importantly, guaranteeing our right to extract it; however, this is not enough."
Bassil stressed that "we achieved the oil and gas success, and no one can deny it because no one worked on it like us. We took over a ministry that had no record on oil, and this is an achievement for the Lebanese in the name of which it cost us fourteen years of work and sleepless nights to create the petroleum sector in Lebanon with its laws, decrees, agency, surveys, contracts, and current and future plans. I estimate they are still in shock and disappointment, and the shock will be greater when our role becomes clearer, and when we realize all our projects and it will show how right we were. The reason we cling to the Ministry of Energy is not for the position, but for what we can achieve for the country."
He considered: "We received incomplete borders with Cyprus and Line 1 with Israel and raised it to Line 23, adding 860 km² to our waters, and Line 29 was raised very late after the approval of Line 23 and its submission to the United Nations in 2011. We used it to secure Line 23 completely with all our blocks that we approved at that time. And when Mr. Hassan established the equation with the strength of the resistance, its missiles, and its drones; where were they? They were afraid of war and accused him of causing it! We say this is in Lebanon’s interest, and do not fear, there will be no war because that will expedite the agreement quickly and serve our interests, 'Where were they? Someone tell me!'"
Bassil pointed out that "a caretaker government lacking powers cannot convene, nor can it make decisions or assume the powers of the President, as it is already lacking authority and trust from the parliamentary council; how can it assume powers it does not have when the position and powers of the presidency are 'not a gift from a dead man?'" He affirmed: "We will not accept a president who lacks popular and parliamentary weight or is not supported by a significant parliamentary bloc, especially Christian. We reject the appointment of a president from abroad; the equation is known and clear, and the balances only allow for minimal consensus that provides the quorum of 86 and a majority of 65 votes, and no one has this number alone."
He declared: "The general is 'returning' to Rabieh so we can continue with him the battle of state-building and liberate Lebanon from financial shackles, and indeed Aoun is 'returning' after October 31, liberated from the constraints of the presidency, and with us, we are 'continuers' and 'continuers' stronger. We want to meet him with his victorious exit from the Baabda Palace because he dared to expel terrorism and ISIS from our borders, because he dared to demarcate to ensure our borders and our gas, and because he dared forensic auditing and exposing the system’s architect and the financial governor of Lebanon. We say to him: 'With you, we are continuing' to release the funds that were halted on October 17 and 'with you, we are continuing' to build the power plants in Deir Ammar, Zahrani, and Salata that were prevented by the ministers of gloom and 'with you, we are continuing' to build the tourist port of Jounieh and shipbuilding docks on our shores."
He said: "Let’s agree and dialogue as Lebanese to develop our system, on a defensive strategy, on expanded decentralization, on a secular state, and on a Senate. Unfortunately, there are people who do not know how to build; they know how to destroy and vandalize, and these are marginal people, and tomorrow solutions will be created, and they will remain outside of them."
