The distinguished Ja'fari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan issued a statement addressing "the Lebanese blocs and forces": The nature of the country intersects with the most influential regions in the world, and isolating Lebanon from what is happening in the region is impossible. This requires the country to be ready to endure regional and international pressures, and surrendering to these pressures is considered a national betrayal. The siege led by Washington against Lebanon aims for political strangulation of the country.
He added: "Thus, the presidential entitlement revolves around the identity of the president, and we cannot accept a president without a significant national identity. What is needed is a president with decision-making power, not a puppet. This requires convergence and not divergence in the parliament, and without a parliamentary settlement, there will be no president. Any harm to national interests threatens the core identity of Lebanon. This is a matter of a country, principles, and a battle for political independence amidst a whirlpool of war affecting the essence of the entire region. What is currently happening on the southern front emphasizes the regional sovereign value of Lebanon. Lebanon has no value without its existential independence, and the state has no value without sovereign decisions.
Coexistence is one of the greatest sanctities of the country, and we cannot guarantee coexistence without regional sovereign capabilities that restrain Israel and Washington and ensure a complete partnership within the Lebanese family. Today, Israel is mired in its existential crisis, with no precedent for its current defeatist position. We must be national to the core, and there is no nationalism without Lebanon’s regional interests."
