The political office of the "Kataeb" party expressed that "the cost of the ongoing war in the south has become larger than what Lebanon can bear and more than can be compensated for in the near future, given the rising number of casualties and the moral and material damage inflicted on all Lebanese, alongside the consequences of a war that neither the Lebanese people nor the Lebanese state desire, but which has been imposed upon them with all its ramifications." In a statement following its meeting led by party leader MP Sami Gemayel, it noted that "this ongoing situation, right before summer, threatens to obliterate the only economic outlet that Lebanese people await annually to compensate for losses incurred from successive crises and shocks," pointing out that "the tourism sector is at risk of losing more than eighty percent of expected bookings."
The party called for "adhering to its steadfast positions to activate a strategy out of the crisis and the war's repercussions through a brave separation between the paths: the path of electing a president, the path of the Gaza war, and the path of implementing Resolution 1701." It warned against "ignoring the warnings issued by international envoys regarding the continuation of the presidential vacuum, the latest of whom was French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, who clearly stated that Lebanon would not be invited to the regional settlement table unless a president is elected, which may mean that the settlement could come at Lebanon's expense."
The party urged "the implementation of constitutional provisions and the immediate election of a sovereign reformist president," holding "Hezbollah and its axis responsible for excluding official Lebanon and the Lebanese people from negotiations, which they are primarily concerned with after all that they have endured." It indicated that "Hezbollah is preparing for the post-war phase and is working to expand its influence by activating the operations of Palestinian organizations in the south, which is extremely dangerous and certainly rejected by the vast majority of Lebanese."
It stated: "The armed manifestations that shook Akkar and the north and the armed outbreaks that violated the area during the funeral of two members of the Islamic Group cannot be separated. This resulted in an unprecedented release of militias leading to injuries among the local population."
Furthermore, the Kataeb party considers these practices as shared tricks and holds the security apparatus managed by Hezbollah responsible for the new breakdown, calling upon security agencies to assume their responsibilities, control the chaos, hold the responsible parties accountable, and prevent any manifestations of suspicious movements aimed at imposing a de facto reality in northern Lebanon after the south has fallen under the control of the statelet."
As for the visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Beirut, alongside Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis to discuss the issue of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, the political office held the government accountable for addressing this issue in Lebanon, based on its published positions regarding the plan for the return of Syrians to their homeland, the recommendations of the Lebanese Parliament, and the memo from the Kataeb party.
It warned against "any submission to the pressures of financial aid temptations by being lenient with their presence, as it is," emphasizing that "all assistance should focus on empowering Lebanese infrastructure to cope with the effects of displacement, and not to integrate Syrians in Lebanon, while directing aid to the displaced in their homeland, regardless of the political situation in Syria."
