A prominent leader in the resistance team revealed that everything said about a "modification" of Resolution 1701 is considered "forbidden political weaponry and has no basis in truth." He stated that all the envoys who visited Lebanon, from the Senior Advisor for Energy at the White House Amos Hochstein to the French General Intelligence Chief Ambassador Bernard Émié and everyone in between, did not request any modifications to the international Resolution 1701, nor the establishment of a buffer zone in the south, nor any other matters. All they requested was the full implementation of Resolution 1701 as it is written.
The source explained: "This demand is primarily Lebanese, as Lebanon has repeatedly called for obliging Israel to implement this resolution and to move from a ceasefire to a complete cessation of hostilities, which is a demand widely supported by the Lebanese."
Regarding the period after the extension, as reported by "Nidaa al-Watan," the leader said: "Everyone should carefully read the deliberate choice of the head of the Marada Movement, Sleiman Franjieh, along with his wife and his son, MP Tony Franjieh, to accept the invitation of Army Commander General Joseph Aoun to the dinner. The timing was chosen by Franjieh, as the visit occurred before the extension session, specifically last Thursday evening, and not after the session. He attended without being burdened by a vote from the parliamentary bloc supporting the extension, rather he preempted the matter without raising it at dinner."
He noted that the leak about the dinner came from Franjieh's team, not from the Army Commander, and the Army Command did not announce the meeting to avoid stirring up misinterpretations before the extension was approved.
The leader revealed that the meeting between Franjieh and Aoun "was more than cordial, and it included an affirmation of the importance of the military institution's role and the necessity to strengthen it."
Additionally, "Nidaa al-Watan" learned that the echoes of the meeting were very negative for the head of the "Free Patriotic Movement," MP Gibran Bassil. According to media sources within the movement, the news of this meeting came directly after Bassil's recent statement in which he described the extension law for General Joseph Aoun as a conspiracy, and that Bassil had taken a strong stance against the Army Commander on the 12th of this month.
The circles added that Bassil essentially considers Franjieh unqualified to be president of the republic, so how much more complicated is the situation now that communication lines have opened between the two longstanding rivals? It is expected that Bassil will prepare an appropriately forceful response to the meeting in due time.
