This morning, the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan reported that Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will intensify his contacts with Hezbollah and with the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, in an effort to convince them that there is no alternative but to return to the embrace of the state, which protects all citizens.

Samir Geagea, head of the Christian Lebanese Forces party, said that Hezbollah is the one and only party in Lebanon that has been destroying the country for forty years. In an interview with Free Lebanon Radio, Geagea added that between 70 and 75 percent of Lebanese citizens oppose Hezbollah’s path, “but the organization insists on continuing it.”

“From the very beginning, we told Hezbollah that this war would not help Gaza and would seriously harm Lebanon,” Geagea said. He stressed that Hezbollah has no right to declare war: “The only entity with that authority is the Lebanese government.”