The Speaker of the Parliament, Nabih Berri, is closely following the active domestic movement to extract the presidential file from a stalemate. He insists on dialogue before any call to elect a president, appearing optimistic about the stance of the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, stating that Bassil has informed him of his willingness to engage in dialogue without preconditions.
According to visitors of President Berri, he will call for dialogue once he has 86 MPs, which could last for hours, a day, or a maximum of 7 days. He expressed his readiness to summon an election session even on a Sunday. These visitors indicate that if the dialogue leads to an agreement on two or three names, they would immediately transition to an election session.
The Speaker of Parliament is ignoring the continuous attacks from the leader of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea. When asked if Geagea's ongoing criticisms are influenced by Saudi Arabia, he replied that it is a question for Geagea, not for him. He clarifies that the Qataris have ideas but no extensive initiative regarding the presidency, denying any proposal for amendments to the Lebanese system.
Regarding the situation in the south, President Berri confirms that there is an agreement with the Americans to implement Resolution 1701 immediately after the war in Gaza ends, indicating that the ceasefire in Gaza will automatically apply to southern Lebanon. He also mentions that the French have conveyed Israeli threats to Lebanon.
As for the activities in the political sphere, Bassil, alongside the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, MP Taymour Jumblatt, continued their rounds among political forces on Tuesday. According to sources following these movements, what they are primarily advocating for is the need for a dialogue that precedes the election of a president, as it is considered the only key to opening the door to the general assembly for electing a president.
The sources explain that there are two opinions among the opposition forces: one calls for accepting dialogue provided that there are prior guarantees from President Berri, while another, represented by the Lebanese Forces, entirely rejects dialogues or even consultations before the election session, advocating that such discussions should occur during the election session. However, they conclude that the ongoing initiatives resemble movements without purpose, due to the lack of a prepared ground for elections both internally and externally.
On Tuesday, Samir Geagea wrote on his X platform, indirectly addressing President Berri, saying: "If you insist on dialogue seriously, although many of your allies are not known for being dialogue-oriented, if you insist, our homes are open, and our representatives meet with yours every day and every moment, and we are ready for any consultation, as it should be before any electoral session."
He added: "You raise many issues, but the request is one: to call for an electoral session with consecutive rounds until a president of the republic is elected. You tire yourself and the Lebanese people with all these proposals, which are unrelated to the main issue."
In the south, it appears that Hezbollah has established a new air deterrence equation that may prevent Israel from expanding the war into Lebanon. Yesterday, it announced that its air defense unit repelled an Israeli warplane that violated Lebanese airspace on Monday night, launching a surface-to-air missile, forcing it to retreat towards occupied Palestine and leave Lebanese airspace immediately.
This is the second time that Hezbollah's air defenses have confronted an Israeli warplane after previously downing seven Israeli drones. Relevant sources informed "Al-Diyar" that this significant development in the ongoing battle in the south is likely to make the Israelis reassess their calculations, especially regarding the expansion of the war into Lebanon. Over time, the possibility of an extensive war becomes increasingly unlikely as the Israelis realize that Hezbollah has many surprises in store and that any adventure against it would threaten the entire entity, particularly with Tehran affirming that Hezbollah will not be alone in such a confrontation.
Hezbollah announced that its fighters bombarded the artillery regiment and the armored brigade of the Golan Division 210 at the Yarden barracks with dozens of Katyusha rockets and targeted a gathering of Israeli enemy soldiers around the Natoura settlement, causing casualties. The resistance also bombarded a building used by enemy soldiers in the Metula settlement and a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Baram Forest.
Conversely, an Israeli drone launched a missile at an empty building in the town of Kfarkela, and the town of Khyam was also targeted. While Hezbollah mourned three of its fighters, the National News Agency reported that a civilian was martyred due to an attack carried out by an enemy drone in Naqoura.
On the Gaza front, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the statement from the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) supporting the UN resolution advocating for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and warned that the continuation of the war increases the likelihood of the conflict expanding in the region.
Blinken, speaking from Tel Aviv during his eighth regional trip since the beginning of the Israeli assault on Gaza, considered Hamas's statement a hopeful gesture, adding that what is being discussed by the leadership of the Palestinian movement in Gaza is of utmost importance, urging the movement to decide whether to proceed with the proposed plan or not.
He stated that he received confirmation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of his commitment to the proposal, viewing President Joe Biden's proposal as the best option. He indicated that discussions regarding plans for post-war Gaza will continue and emphasized that the longer the war lasts, the greater the chance of the conflict expanding in the region, warning that a lack of a plan for the day after the Gaza war could lead to a resurgence of the conflict in the future.
