The head of the "Free Patriotic Movement," MP Gebran Bassil, sent a message to the ambassadors of the member states of the Security Council, the countries participating in UNIFIL, members of the quintet committee, the Vatican, the EU ambassador, and the UN Special Coordinator in Lebanon. He also sent similar messages to the Speaker of the Parliament, the caretaker Prime Minister, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants.
The text of the message states: "Lebanon has been witnessing, for six months, the brutal destruction caused by the Israeli war machine in the south, resulting in the killing of our innocent civilian citizens and the devastation of our land and the homes of our people. Israel's continued perpetration of massacres and its ongoing violation of Lebanon's sovereignty, in addition to threats from its leaders, are factors that could destabilize the calm and undermine stability along our southern borders, preventing displaced civilians from returning to their villages and starting the reconstruction of their homes, and threaten peace in the region.
It is necessary to inject new momentum into Lebanon's official efforts toward the international community to encourage it to intensify its efforts to deter Israel from its aggression and to restore stability and calm to our southern borders before the current conflict escalates and spreads to other areas and regions. To avoid falling into this predicament, we again call for the immediate application of Resolution 1701 of the United Nations Security Council, in all its clauses, and to act in all international forums to condemn Israel's ongoing violations of the spirit and text of the resolution since its adoption. Notably, since October 7, 2023, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants has officially submitted more than 25 complaints against Israel due to its violations.
It is time to hold Israel accountable for its aggressive attack on Lebanon before the situation spirals out of control, plunging into a criminal war similar to the one Israel is waging against Gaza. We reaffirm our commitment to not link the situation on Lebanon's southern borders with the ongoing war in Gaza. While confirming our insistence on applying Resolution 1701 in its entirety, we believe that there must be decisive international deterrence against these plans, which could take the form of a new UN resolution from the Security Council based on the principles contained in Resolution 1701, particularly regarding the affirmation of:
- Its strong support for the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and political independence of Lebanon within its internationally recognized borders, as stated in the general armistice agreement between Israel and Lebanon dated March 23, 1949.
- Its call to "support a permanent ceasefire" and its sustainability along Lebanon's southern borders.
If adopted, Lebanon must respect the resolution that would put an end to Israeli military operations against our country and our people. The adoption of the resolution would restore credibility to both the international community and the United Nations after Israel put it to the test by evading accountability and completely ignoring international law and the Security Council resolutions, particularly resolution 2728 issued on March 25, 2024, which calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
We are not advocates of dragging Lebanon into regional wars, nor do we want Lebanon to become a battleground for others again. Our priorities are to respect our constitution and to rebuild our national institutions, starting with the election of a president for the republic, the head of these institutions, in addition to implementing the necessary social and economic reforms. These priorities are not contingent on regional developments; one of our aims in restoring order and vitality to our constitutional institutions is to contribute to activating national efforts alongside a comprehensive international effort and parallel national mechanisms and fair international measures aimed at establishing the peace we all aspire to."
