The former minister and head of the Arab Unity Party, Wiam Wahhab, emphasized that all Lebanese, “we are Arabs and most of us came from Yemen.” He added during a meeting with journalist Samar Abu Khalil: “Some Lebanese spent their lives on trivial matters while the world moved on and we remained stagnant.” He continued, “We are an Arab people belonging to Arab tribes, and we all came from the Arabian Peninsula.” He remarked, “Someone should tell me how they are Phoenician, and I apologize for that.”
In another context, Wahhab considered Netanyahu’s reception in Congress to be for his own benefit, noting that “the entire region is heading towards an earthquake, and we are currently living through it, but we cannot predict how it will end.” He indicated that “there is a decision in Israel to abolish the Palestinian Authority and terminate the Oslo Agreement,” explaining that “Israel wants to expel people from the West Bank and does not want the situation in Lebanon to return to what it was before October 7, which means the confrontation is open, and no one knows how it will end.”
Regarding the southern front, Wahhab said: “I would prefer to open all fronts and have a major battle; if we cannot engage in this battle, Lebanon cannot fight for a billion Muslims,” adding: “The Syrian cannot go through Hamas's program.” He asserted that the southern front will only be successful “if Hezbollah can extract oil and maintain the situation in the south as it was before October 7 and manage to end the American siege on Lebanon; if it cannot achieve that, the front will suffer a loss.”
He stated: “I am in favor of dialogue with the Americans if it leads to a breakthrough for the entire axis; lifting the siege on Iran matters to me, but I am also concerned about lifting the siege on Syria and Lebanon.” Wahhab also revealed details about his meeting with the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, stating: “I met him about 17 or 18 years ago; he was a unique character. I asked him about Imam Moussa Sadr, and he told me he wanted to resolve the matter and that he loved the resistance and was willing to support it and send weapons, and that he admired Sayyed Hassan.”
He touched upon the presidential issue in Lebanon, mentioning his meeting with the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil, pointing out that “the agreement on Sleiman Frangieh favors Bassil.” Wahhab said: “Now is not the time to elect a president,” adding that no one has the internal political decision, as the ultimate word lies in the battlefield and how the war will end. He revealed a flexibility in the position of former president Michel Aoun and Bassil regarding the Chief of Staff and the fate of the army leadership.
