This is good to see, but it could cost Geagea his life.
“Lebanese Christian leader says Hezbollah’s fighting with Israel has harmed Lebanon,” by Bassem Mroue and Abbey Sewell, Associated Press, May 1, 2024:
MAARAB, Lebanon (AP) — The leader of a main Christian political party in Lebanon blasted the Shiite militant group Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel to back up its ally Hamas, saying it has harmed Lebanon without making a dent in Israel’s crushing offensive in the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday night, Samir Geagea of the Lebanese Forces Party said Hezbollah should withdraw from areas along the border with Israel and the Lebanese army should deploy in all points where militants of the Iran-backed group have taken positions.
His comments came as Western diplomats try to broker a de-escalation in the border conflict amid fears of a wider war.
Hezbollah began launching rockets toward Israeli military posts on Oct. 8, the day after Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel in a surprise attack that sparked the crushing war in Gaza.
The near-daily violence has mostly been confined to the area along the border, and international mediators have been scrambling to prevent an all-out war. The fighting has killed 12 soldiers and 10 civilians in Israel. More than 350 people have been killed in Lebanon including 273 Hezbollah fighters and more than 50 civilians.
“No one has the right to control the fate of a country and people on its own,” Geagea said in his heavily guarded headquarters in the mountain village of Maarab. “Hezbollah is not the government in Lebanon. There is a government in Lebanon in which Hezbollah is represented.” In addition to its military arm, Hezbollah is a political party….
mgoldberg says
But no apology from him to Israel, no mea culpa, no idea expect the anodyne ‘saying it has harmed Lebanon without making a dent in Israel’s crushing offensive in the Gaza Strip.’ Does he expect Israel to lay down and die or does he think that the mass homicidism, mass hostage taking, mass raping and the burning of babies and such, should go unanswered? What does he mean except for his lukewarm obvious statement that Lebanon is under the control of Hezballah and islamic tyranny.
And what of Israel and it’s being a subject of bombarbments that they don’t deserve?
Taffy says
Let’s be honest here. Nazrallah, leader of Hiz b’Allah, runs the show in Lebanon and not the Christian figureheads. Geagea is putting his life in jeopardy by speaking out.
Now that Iran found out that Israel can fight an effective stand-off war against them with precision targeting and total destruction of Iran’s air defenses, while intercepting all but a couple of Iran’s missiles, things will quiet down after Hamas is wiped clean!
somehistory says
Would he like it to “hurt Israel”?
mgoldberg says
” The leader of a main Christian political party in Lebanon blasted the Shiite militant group Hezbollah for opening a front with Israel to back up its ally Hamas, saying it has harmed Lebanon without making a dent in Israel’s crushing offensive in the Gaza Strips.”
So he resents Hezbollah for bringing war to Lebanon but not for unjustly trying to kill Israeli’s. Hmmmm
JS says
You need to go back to the 70s- 80s and onward and learn how the Christian Maronites were massacred by the PLO and other terror groups that invaded and are still there in larger & larger numbers, while most of the Christians were either killed or had to flee! Israel tried repeatedly to help them. I know of this period but need to learn more, so I’m going back in to research it further. We should all be educating ourselves about what Islamists have done, and this is relatively recent so let’s ALL start paying greater attention. One could start with the story of Brigette Gabriel who was a child when the PLO came in and started their war. Look up her longer version story. It’s fascinating a big piece of history never talked about.
JS says
I read just recently that Hezbollah kidnapped and then killed a Christian Lebanese (don’t know if he was in govt or a religious figure) that criticized the war with Lebanon. Has everyone read about Brigette Gabriel, the Lebanese Christian that had to flee for her life with her parents? Everyone should read her story. Look her up and be sure to hear the longer story that I only recently heard.
Also, go to PragerU on YouTube and watch the video of the man who grew up in Gaza. I learned many things in that video and thought I had heard it all!