The "Lebanese Forces" distinguished itself from other parties and figures after the announcement of a meeting between party leader Samir Geagea and Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin during the latter's visit to Lebanon. This meeting likely took place at the Papal Nuncio in Harissa, which is not far from Geagea's residence in Ma'arab, located in the town of Ghosta, Keserwan, above Harissa. A responsible source in Ma'arab spoke to "Al-Anbaa" about "commitment to Vatican diplomacy, leaving it to the Papal Nuncio to disclose whether a meeting between Geagea and Cardinal Parolin took place." Geagea had sent MP Pierre Bou Assi to a meeting in Bkerke called by Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Al-Rahi, followed by a lunch in honor of the Vatican's second-in-command. Geagea is known for being cautious when responding to invitations for publicly known events, adhering to the requests of his security team, which is strict on protection measures for "the wise one."
The source mentioned three priorities for "The Forces" at the current stage. The first priority is preventing the escalation of the war between Hezbollah and Israel, amidst American intelligence reports and other diplomatic insights regarding this issue. To this end, "The Forces" called for a Ma'arab meeting to discuss the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, to spare Lebanon from the danger of war expansion. The second priority is electing a president for the republic by opening the parliament and calling for successive open sessions or agreeing on a candidate from a third option, after both factions failed to bring in their candidate. The third priority actively pursued by "The Forces" daily relates to the Lebanese state’s responsibility to expel illegal Syrian refugees and address this file.
"The Forces" have been operating for some time according to the Vatican's approach of "diplomacy of silence," yet their activities on the ground are evident in terms of monitoring the conditions of border towns and villages, bolstering the resilience of the residents, and curtailing migration, among other efforts.
