Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, the chief Jaafari mufti, delivered a Friday sermon in which he stated that "nothing is more important than what is happening in Gaza, as the events in Gaza are connected to our country, its security, and sovereignty, as well as Lebanon's reality in reshaping the region's balance and interests. Resistance understands this accurately, and thus has divided Tel Aviv’s military efforts between the south and the north, under endless pressure on the northern front, with screams and mediation pushed by Tel Aviv through Washington and others just to stop the Lebanese southern front. The southern front will not halt without stopping the war machine against Gaza, and there is no dignity for Lebanon without its resistance, nor is there a sacrifice more precious, noble, or greater than what the resistance offers to Lebanon as a state and for national partnership."
He affirmed that "the war launched by Tel Aviv in alliance with Washington and NATO on Gaza demands from every living conscience in this world, particularly among followers of Christianity and Islam, to raise their voices and mobilize all resources to condemn Tel Aviv and Washington, in addition to confronting their Zionist-NATO tyranny which is committing the worst catastrophe of the 21st century." He added, "What lighter is the Arab balance before God, and how poor is their stance on the day God raises the blood of the people of Gaza and weighs it against their actions, except for a few who preferred the truth over falsehood, foremost among them the people of Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq."
He addressed the Lebanese people saying, "Do not be intimidated by some mercenaries in various media, political, and artistic roles, for all shame is on this type which turns its back on the supreme national interests." He emphasized that "what the resistance is doing on the southern front is a sovereign war with significant national and regional repercussions, as it destroys the Zionist machine and its troops daily, putting the entire confronting front under terror, while the resistance's readiness exceeds what anyone in this world can imagine."
Mufti Qabalan considered that "the state cannot perform its function as a state without securing financial health and regulating the healthcare sector to prevent it from being a market of exploitation. More frankly, what is required of the state is to return to being a state, and to put an end to what is happening in the official administrations and other state institutions that are ravaged by corruption, right under your nose." He stressed that "it is imperative to rid ourselves of the political cover, as the state and its institutions resemble a graveyard; the government must revive itself anew because the stench of death is unbearable. Thus, we want a working government that does not retire from work; governmental paralysis for malicious reasons is a disaster, and tying government work to a presidential settlement is a loss for Lebanon and its people. Some are required to adopt a political realism, not a visionary utopia."
