Lebanon Faces Internal Strife Amid Iran’s Diplomatic Push for Regional Unity
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Lebanon is currently experiencing profound divisions between a government described as compromising and having lost its sovereign decision-making autonomy to American influence, and a proud, resilient resistance movement that has achieved significant field successes. The Islamic Republic of Iran, through its principled stances and decisions, has taken on the responsibility of halting the conflict in Lebanon and pushing back the Zionist enemy from its southern territories, offering its support to the nation.
The Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, in its weekly meeting, emphasized that the Lebanese government’s insistence on continuing a hostile approach towards Hezbollah and Iran is a foolish stubbornness that renders direct negotiations a futile political suicide for Lebanon.
Ms. Wardeh Saad, a reporter for Mehr News Agency, conducted an interview with former Lebanese Minister Dr. Mustafa Bayram on this subject. The full text of their conversation is presented below:
Lebanon is currently engaged in debates surrounding the outcomes of direct negotiations between the Lebanese government and the occupying Israeli regime. The question arises as to why the Lebanese government persists with its unproductive approach, particularly concerning a conditional ceasefire that has been rejected by influential parties within the country. What were the deficiencies in this statement?
The United States and Saudi Arabia, who were instrumental in bringing this government to power in Lebanon, have imposed their own agenda upon it. This agenda is being adhered to by the government, which has sacrificed its sovereign decisions and independence, relinquishing the nation’s sources of power. In line with this, the Lebanese government has enacted legislation criminalizing the Lebanese people’s right to resist occupation, thereby transforming the challenges facing the Zionist regime concerning Lebanon into an internal Lebanese issue, exacerbating internal divisions. The government has relinquished all its leverage; consequently, the issuance of this statement, orchestrated by the U.S. Department of State, was intended to subdue the Lebanese people, granting all rights to the Zionist regime and fundamentally questioning Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Lebanon has entered Iran’s deterrence equations. Do you consider this a strength for Lebanon’s position? Has Iran succeeded in imposing this equation? Why does Netanyahu insist on the slogan of separating the fronts and dealing with Lebanon individually?
Yes, Lebanon has entered Iran’s deterrence equation, as this is a highly significant matter. Just as enemies unite, and just as the United States has come from across international waters to unite with and support the criminal and occupying Zionist regime, at the forefront of war criminals, we, as the people of this region, nations, and peoples, have every right to unite and confront the enemy together. The enemy’s criminal and expansionist plot and its settlement activities aim to dominate the region and impose itself as an unchallenged and unrivaled power. Therefore, it is our right to stand together.
Iran has succeeded in imposing this equation and restoring the unity of the fronts because the Israelis, particularly the war criminal Netanyahu, have been striving for three years to separate these fronts and engage them individually. Consequently, the Zionist-American aggression against Iran has occurred, and they have so far failed to achieve their objectives. This has enabled Iran to once again work towards unifying the fronts and empowering each party within this axis. It is our right as regional nations to unite, confront this aggression, protect our wealth, and establish regional security for ourselves. If Arab countries had united in this regard, and had also cooperated with Iranians, Turks, and Pakistanis, a favorable destiny would have awaited us.
Many observers believe that the Israeli regime’s army is incapable of confronting the resistance in southern Lebanon but insists on its objectives for political reasons. Do you share this view? To what extent has the resistance managed to alter the equation and surprise the enemy with its combat capabilities?
Southern Lebanon is becoming a quagmire and a war of attrition for Israel, especially since the resistance, upon its return on March 2nd, after 15 months of continuous daily killings, destruction, and assassinations, and in the absence of condemnation from the Lebanese government, changed the equation. The Zionist regime and its supporters, including Netanyahu, believed that the resistance had ended and had suffered a severe blow that sent it back four decades. However, the resistance delivered a significant surprise to them. Its intelligent and flexible performance in battle and the use of fiber-optic drones dealt a heavy blow to the advanced technology of the Zionist regime, placing the Israelis in a state of attrition. The resistance will remain in this state until the Israelis reach a point of stalemate on the ground or a peak in the confrontations that forces them to consider withdrawal, which is precisely what we are counting on. Time is on the side of the Lebanese people and their legendary resistance.
It appears that the Lebanese government has reverted to the logic of “Lebanon’s strength lies in its weakness,” and for this reason, it seeks help from the enemy that commits massacres against the Lebanese. What is the strategic horizon of this policy in light of current data? Why does the government refrain from leveraging the resistance’s strength to compel the enemy to cease its aggression?
The Lebanese government has returned to the logic of “Lebanon’s strength lies in its weakness”; however, this logic is a fallacy. In reality, Lebanon cannot be strong while weak. Rather, strength lies in investing in winning cards and national unity. Lebanon’s winning card is its legendary resistance and steadfastness, and the solidarity of its people against foreign aggression, which the government seeks to ignore. Therefore, it can be said that the Lebanese government possesses nothing, as it lacks even independent decision-making power. As I mentioned, the government was brought to power by foreigners. We all know that ambassadors from five countries worked to bring this government to power; therefore, this government is not independent and is seeking a pretext to maintain its power. For this reason, it cannot establish a ceasefire based on Lebanese interests. The greater problem is that the Israelis are using the current government as a cover to continue their aggressions. For this reason, the Israelis do not speak of UN Resolution 1701 or the October 27, 2024 agreement, to which Lebanon, the government, the resistance, and the army were committed. Instead, it repeats the government’s misguided and illegal decisions to criminalize the Lebanese people’s right to resist, which contradicts the Taif Agreement, the Preamble of the Lebanese Constitution, and international charters to which the Lebanese Constitution is linked, as well as the right of peoples to self-determination and to confront occupation. The actions of such a government are highly dangerous because, instead of uniting the Lebanese people, it increases social division.
This government has also humiliated the Lebanese army and forced it to retreat before the occupiers. The government has relinquished Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, does not reflect the sacrifices of the people, and exacerbates divisions among them. Lebanon is moving towards a direct negotiation process with the Zionist enemy, an action that contradicts Lebanese law, which criminalizes Israeli occupation as a crime. The government is not utilizing any of its leverage and is engaging in self-harm. However, the Lebanese nation still has a chance for victory, with the resistance and the people defending their land. We are in the right, and the laws of history confirm that we will triumph and liberate our land, God willing.
