The Kataeb Political Bureau held its meeting today, Tuesday, chaired by party leader MP Samy Gemayel, to discuss the latest developments regarding the expansion of the war zone, the targeting of civilians in Lebanon, Hezbollah's insistence on tying Lebanon to the Resistance axis, and the danger of an ongoing vacuum affecting the leadership of the army. Following the meeting, a statement was issued stating: "The situation in Lebanon is heading towards increased danger, with the war continuing and realities suggesting it will prolong, and with Hezbollah and Iran's insistence on monopolizing the fate of the country and linking it to Gaza without any regard for the will of the Lebanese people, while the official Lebanese response remains inadequate to the looming dangers."
The statement emphasized "the necessity of taking a historic and exceptional decision to protect Lebanon, by deploying the army intensively along the entire border, preventing the violation of the south, and safeguarding the country and Resolution 1701 in cooperation with international forces to nullify the legitimacy of the claim that Lebanon is under the protection of the Resistance axis."
The Kataeb Party reiterated its condemnation of the targeting of Lebanese civilians and expressed condolences to the families of unarmed martyrs, including children and women, warning "against any slippage that could cost Lebanon dearly, and urging the international community to bear its responsibility by pressuring Israel to stop the massacres, and Iran to cease utilizing the peoples of the region to serve its interests."
The statement pointed out that the Kataeb Party believes it is "impossible for Lebanon to continue on the edge of the abyss, patching up the situation due to the vacancy in the highest position in the country, and refuses to allow Lebanon to remain suspended waiting for the outcomes of regional wars." The party calls for fortifying the country against upcoming developments in the region, stressing the urgent need to restore institutions and regularize their functioning, starting with electing a sovereign and reformist president to restore the state's dignity.
The party noted that "the anticipated vacancy in the army leadership will prompt Hezbollah to tighten its grip on the country under the pretext of filling the void," and emphasized the necessity of adopting a solution within legal and constitutional frameworks, considering that the available option is to delay the retirement of the army commander by decision of the Minister of Defense, due to the prevention of electing a president and the inability of the Parliament to legislate as it is considered an electoral body according to Article 75 of the constitution, based on Article 55 of the National Defense Law, citing two precedents in this regard in 2013 and 2015."
The Political Bureau held the government "jointly responsible for any security vacuum that Lebanon might fall into, and calls on it to take the initiative in case the minister hesitates to fulfill his duties, relying on the concepts of exceptional circumstances (circonstances exceptionnelles) and the higher interest of the state (raison d'État), which allow the government to take exceptional measures to deal with exceptional situations or threats to national security."
