Lebanese Forces Party leader Samir Jaach emphasized that "Lebanon's current situation is not healthy, due to the ongoing crisis for the past seven years, amidst great financial and economic turmoil." In an interview with "Independent Turkish," Jaach pointed out that "we are unable to hold presidential elections due to the obstruction by the Resistance team's sessions. When President Nabih Berri calls for a session, it becomes a mere formality since it is impossible for any candidate to secure two-thirds of the votes in the first round. Unfortunately, about 12 electoral sessions have failed, and despite the worsening crisis in Lebanon, there is no capability to conduct this electoral entitlement because of the 'Resistance Axis,' which either wants to bring its candidate to power or disrupt the electoral sessions, which is completely undemocratic."
He clarified that "the Resistance Axis emerged from the elections weaker than it was, but what is obstructing us is the refusal of around 20 MPs in the parliament to engage in a confrontation with us, under the pretext that they are outside the alignments, while there is a clear national confrontation. Therefore, what delays us in achieving actual results, despite the resilience of the opposition and its battle for the presidency over the past year, is these 20 deputies who remain in the middle when they have a duty to align with the truth. We, as an opposition and as the Lebanese Forces, will continue to confront until the end in this long and strong battle because we must bring about a change in the hand that holds onto power."
Regarding the possibility of sending a message to Hezbollah, Jaach stated: "I will not send a call to Hezbollah because it is an ideological party with a celestial dimension, and its matters are fully, comprehensively, and definitively determined. It is unreasonable to expect any change since it has a path drawn from eternity to eternity, but I send a message to the 20 MPs to say that this confrontation is yours for those who elected you to improve their conditions. You cannot avoid the conflict; history is based on it, and if there is something that can be done to save the situation and we have not done it, propose it to us. This is the only hope, and today the choice is either Hezbollah and its allies or the opposition's project."
#### Commemoration of August 4
On the anniversary of the Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, he expressed that "there have been many tragedies that Lebanon has witnessed over the past ten years, but unfortunately, it is difficult to achieve justice for the victims of the explosion at the moment due to the existing situation." He added, "We must not forget that alongside the explosion, there is no longer an image of the Lebanese state abroad, our national currency has collapsed, and all these issues are tragedies that invade every home."
He viewed that "the victims who fell are not only those who lost their lives, but there are also 4 million Lebanese who are martyrs, and there are 70 billion dollars that disappeared from public funds, depositors' money, and the central bank's and banks' funds in general. The list goes on.” He continued: "The ruling authority in Lebanon is unable to conduct an independent investigation into the explosion." He stated, "From the first moment, after discussions about an investigation within five days, we immediately sought an international fact-finding committee because we have no trust in the ruling authority, as most of the judiciary has become its followers, knowing that there are still 'good' judges like Judge Tarek Bitar. Thus, we realized that when the investigation proceeds seriously, the authority will intervene to obstruct it, and for this reason, we demanded an international fact-finding committee. From the very beginning, the Lebanese Forces office in Washington contacted the U.S. administration, and the New York office reached out to the five permanent members of the Security Council, while Lebanon's foreign relations apparatus conducted multiple tours to the embassies of the five permanent member states of the Security Council, demanding the formation of an international fact-finding committee from the UN Secretary-General."
Jaach affirmed that "the state must work to achieve justice in the Beirut port explosion case, which we are fundamentally working on," stressing "the necessity of changing the current ruling clique, which comprises Hezbollah and its allies, and the Free Patriotic Movement, which has distinguished itself in the investigation of the port explosion, but nevertheless is part of the existing authority, as there can be no justice in anything as long as this authority remains.” He attributed that if the explosion had occurred on August 4 when he was in the presidency, “things in the state would have proceeded as they should."
#### Iran and Saudi Arabia
Regarding the regional agreements witnessed in the Middle East, especially the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, he stated: “Contrary to the general framework, I do not see that there are tangible regional agreements. Everything that has happened over the past six months is a kind of cooling of tensions, especially between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Even the developments in Yemen have been limited to a relative pause in fire, nothing more. I do not believe there is a comprehensive agreement between the two parties. Iran continues to fund and arm Hezbollah, which remains committed to its project. The fact is that Saudi Arabia has not changed its perspective on Lebanon; it still opposes the idea of a presidential candidate from Hezbollah's group, as it demands a president who is dedicated to building the Lebanese state. The participation of the Syrian regime's president in the Arab Summit in Jeddah has not changed anything; he continues to be politically isolated and continues the trade of captagon and narcotics. Thus, I do not see real regional understandings positively reflecting on the country."
He pointed out that "the current political scene in Lebanon represents a political struggle between two factions: one is the Resistance Axis, while the other represents various other parties. The situation has not stabilized for the past three to four decades. Consequently, the structure of authority and the state needs a profound reconsideration. None of these parties is capable of managing the project alone, as this issue concerns all Lebanese."
Jaach indicated that "the Sunni partner is strongly present in Lebanese authority through various parties and figures, and it is a fundamental partner in the nation that cannot be overlooked. The leadership of the Sunnis was held by the late Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, which was larger than Lebanon itself, therefore, the Sunni presence in the country cannot be denied."
#### Syria
He also denied "the existence of an independent Syrian decision from the Syrian state, as this decision is issued from Russia or Iran." He ruled out "any development in Turkish-Syrian relations." He added: "We cannot deny the presence of the Syrian issue that began in 2011, which continues without resolution, knowing that the only solution lies in implementing UN resolution 2245. I do not believe there is a genuine return of the Syrian regime to the Arab embrace, and everything happening now is a series of disparate steps of no real meaning. The proof is that the return of relations between some Arab countries and Damascus over the past few years has not resulted in any positive outcome; rather, it has exacerbated the economic situation in Syria. However, I do not believe that normalization with the Syrian regime is the key to Arab normalization with Israel. In my opinion, the Arab countries that want to establish relations with Israel have already done so, and the countries that normalized relations with Israel are, I believe, currently reviewing their positions due to the embarrassments and provocations that Israel has carried out, particularly the recent events in the West Bank. Regionally, the strategic decision in Damascus comes from Moscow and Tehran, while the strategic decision in Baghdad belongs to Iran."
#### Maritime and Land Border Demarcation with Israel
Jaach explained that "the reasons for the maritime demarcation of the Lebanese-Israeli borders were directly economic and financial. As for the land demarcation, it is not unusual; I believe what is currently happening in southern Lebanon is a precursor to military events that may be larger than Lebanon." He pointed out that "the poor Lebanese economic situation over the last four years has negatively impacted Hezbollah, and its impact on the party's environment has been greater than its effect on other Lebanese environments, contrary to some expectations. Hezbollah realized that the exit lies in the maritime border demarcation, especially since it does not want to deal with the International Monetary Fund or with international institutions and wishes to financially benefit from the oil present in Blocks 9 and 2. Extracting oil from these requires maritime border demarcation with Israel, which could relieve Hezbollah of financial pressure. What we are witnessing at the land border is a kind of escalation between Israel and Iran, as if preparing for Hezbollah's intervention in any conflict between Tehran and Tel Aviv."
He also considered that "Iran has not changed its strategy, whether in Lebanon, Iraq, or Syria, and I have not sensed any change in Iranian policy in the region over the past months. Even in Yemen, it has not yet abandoned the Houthis." He continued that "the decision regarding most Lebanese domestic issues belongs to Hezbollah, while the decision on strategic matters is in the hands of Iran, and Hezbollah acts as a small employee in strategic matters. For example, it knows nothing about the Iranian nuclear file."
Regarding the multipolar global conflict, especially between the China-Russia axis and the Western and U.S. axis, Jaach saw that "the only change has been China replacing Russia. The world remains multipolar even after the Soviet Union's collapse, but currently, Russia is heading toward further weakness while China moves toward more power. Nevertheless, America remains America. For instance, the United States, Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and others have formed a counter-axis in the tensions that occurred in the South China Sea; thus, there is no drastic change from before." He elaborated that "China is currently the second economic power after the United States, and it is uncertain whether it will surpass the latter in economic power; however, at present, it cannot compete. Despite this, there is a partial decline in the United States in the region, alongside a partial advance, but this does not affect the overall balance of power. As we can see, Americans are enhancing their military presence in the region through military cooperation with Saudi Arabia and joint military exercises with Egypt and others; this is a motion of ebb and flow."
Regarding U.S. policy toward Syria, Jaach believes that "the United States insists on implementing resolution 2254 related to the Syrian file. They will remain in Syrian territory with local forces as long as this resolution is not yet implemented. About 35% of Syrian territory is outside the regime's control, and U.S. forces are keen to maintain this balance, especially since its military cost is minimal, with about 900 American soldiers in Syria."
Concerning the Russian-Ukrainian war, Jaach commented that "it will be prolonged, as everyone has slipped into this war. Russia cannot retreat, and the West will not grant Russia what it desires, thus there is no exit to this crisis."
#### Turkey
The leader of the Lebanese Forces stated that "the changes in Turkish foreign policy have been evident in recent years. It seems that there was a project encompassing Libya and other places in the Middle East, but it has receded after the Turkish leadership realized it was economically costly for the state. Therefore, Turkey revised its policy, especially in its relations with Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Currently, things are heading toward improvement between Turkey and its Arab neighbors, despite existing disagreements, such as the East Mediterranean issue and Turkish ambitions that the Turkish economy may not be able to bear, which it can bear with the current Turkish policy."
He expressed regret regarding voices calling for President Erdogan to meet Bashar al-Assad, who places conditions for meeting with the Turkish president, such as the withdrawal of the Turkish army from northern Syria. Everyone understands that the Turkish army will eventually withdraw, but within a timeline and a political solution."
Jaach concluded by saying: "It is difficult to abandon the Syrian people who are facing calamities and tragedies. Any meeting with Assad should therefore be conditional. I believe a Turkish withdrawal from Syria is impossible before a political solution."
Earlier, Jaach indicated that the current governmental majority seeks, by all means, to cover state expenses by using the mandatory reserves at the Central Bank of Lebanon, although this endeavor is entirely in the wrong direction since the mandatory reserve consists of what remains of people's deposits, while the current ministerial majority should request that the finance minister, who comes from their ranks, collect taxes and fees of various kinds (airport, port, electricity, etc.), in addition to eliminating tax evasion, which alone is estimated at around one billion dollars annually, as well as controlling smuggling and closing illegal crossings.
Jaach added in a statement: "Instead of this governmental majority making it easy to reach for depositors' money, as it did at all previous stages, it should practice its simplest duties by collecting taxes and fees (as it should), and this alone is sufficient to solve the financial crisis."
