Hezbollah, through a member of its parliamentary bloc, Representative Ali Al-Miqdad, demanded the release of those arrested on charges of possessing maps in a mountainous region in northern Lebanon, in the first announcement of its kind days after their arrest, and warned the party’s opponents against preparing for security operations in that region.
This announcement came in the midst of criticism of the Lebanese state against the backdrop of files related to Hezbollah, including the shipment of explosives that was seized last month, and which the Lebanese judiciary is still investigating. The most prominent criticism came from the head of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, who called on the state to investigate those who “gave orders, planned, and took the decision to transport the explosives,” and not to limit themselves to the perpetrators, in reference to his demands to investigate the Hezbollah leadership.
Geagea
Geagea said in a statement on Saturday that the Lebanese state is “miniaturizing itself with its own hands,” and that some of those in charge of it are working, through their practices and ignoring the dangerous security facts, to undermine the image of the actual state that the Lebanese have waited for for decades to be established, warning that continuing this approach will lead to a loss of confidence in the state and its institutions, reaching a stage where no one will take Lebanon seriously anymore.
He stressed that what was revealed in the area intersecting between the Bcharre and Batroun districts, and the previous seizure of the explosive shipment in Dahr al-Baydar, raises an issue far beyond the investigation of members, drivers, or people caught in specific locations, because the main issue lies in the presence of a military and security organization operating outside the framework of the state, its laws, and its decisions, while the relevant authorities avoid reaching the leadership authorities behind these activities, despite Hezbollah officials declaring responsibility for some of them.
Investigation of Hezbollah leadership
Geagea asked: “How can a self-respecting state be satisfied with investigating the driver of an explosives truck, while the party behind it declares responsibility for it?” Considering that the function of the investigation is not to identify the perpetrators, but rather to reach those who gave the orders, planned, and took the decision, and that ignoring this fact means that the state continues to evade its constitutional and legal responsibilities.
He stressed that “as long as there is a military and security organization (Hezbollah), an actual state will not arise in Lebanon,” stressing that the problem is not in the existence of the political party, which has the right to practice political action in accordance with the constitution, but rather in its maintenance of an armed organization that has security, military, and strategic decisions independent of legitimate institutions.
He pointed out that the continuation of this reality not only prevents the establishment of the state, but also keeps Lebanon in strategic isolation from its Arab surroundings and the international community, and prevents the return of investments, aid, stability, and economic growth, which forces the Lebanese to bear high prices for their job opportunities, their livelihood, and the future of their children. Considering that continued procrastination in addressing this dilemma is no longer acceptable, he refused to use the pretext of civil peace to justify not implementing the law, stressing that what is required is not a confrontation between the Lebanese, but rather that the elected and legitimate authority fulfill its responsibilities, and work gradually to deter violations and impose its sovereignty and authority over its entire territory.
5 members of Hezbollah
Geagea had stopped at the incident of the arrest of five people in a mountainous area located between the Bsharri and Batroun districts in northern Lebanon, indicating that the available information speaks of five Hezbollah members, some of whom are residents of the region, while others hail from the south and the Bekaa, and that they are in possession of maps and documents related to plans of a military nature.
Geagea pointed out that the information available regarding this cell indicates that its members had met in the house of one of them in the town of Bahran in the Koura district (northern Lebanon), and that after members of the Internal Security Forces left the place, people from Hezbollah entered it, within a short period, and proceeded to take away phones and documents that were there. He considered that these data, if dealt with in accordance with legal procedures, raise the issue of belonging to an illegal military and security organization, pointing to the concept of an “association of evil people” in the law, and stressing that the discussion should not be limited to the nature of the seized papers or their source, but rather it should address the origin of the military and security activity that these elements were carrying out, and the entity to which they belong and work for.
The Hezbollah novel
However, Hezbollah considers those arrested to be civilians. In his first statement, a member of his parliamentary bloc, MP Ali Al-Miqdad, said, “Four or five young men who got lost in their car in the Bsharri area were arrested.” He added: “Some of those outside Lebanese political life, who lack a sense of patriotism and humanity, told many scenarios. The defenseless youth were accused of false accusations and portrayed the matter as if there was an assassination attempt by snipers in Bcharre or elsewhere.”
He called on the judiciary to “expedite the release of those unlawfully detained,” warning of “the possibility of establishing American security or military points in mountainous areas, with the aim of completing the economic blockade with a security or military blockade on the area overlooking the Bekaa Valley.”
Renewing his party’s demands for the Lebanese state to withdraw from direct negotiations with Israel under American sponsorship, Al-Miqdad said: “There is no problem with all those who do not identify with the American and Israeli orientation. We can sit together and dialogue about ways to get out of our crisis and propose solutions to our problems. But by what logic is the first condition to limit weapons and end resistance, in light of the occupation of our land and the daily attacks on our towns? This will not happen today, tomorrow, or in 100 years.”
