Lebanese officials protest Iranian threat to attack Israel from Lebanon

DECEMBER 12, 2019 10:06

Lebanese officials protested against a recent threat by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) to attack Israel from Lebanon, calling the statement a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported.

“If the Zionist regime makes the smallest mistake toward Iran, we will reduce Tel Aviv to ashes from Lebanon,” said IRGC commander Morteza Qorbani, who added that Iran wouldn’t need to fire a single missile from its territories.

“These statements are unfortunate and unacceptable,” tweeted caretaker Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab. “They are a violation of the sovereignty of Lebanon, which enjoys ties of friendship with Iran that should not infringe on its independent decision-making in any way, shape or form.”

Caretaker Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah called Qorbani’s remarks “irresponsible” and “arrogant,” adding that they are a violation against Lebanon’s sovereignty, people and state.

“Iran may defend itself in any way it likes, but Lebanon is not the Guards’ mailbox or an arena for foreign actors,” said al-Jarrah, according to Asharq Al-Awsat.

Lebanese MP Nadim Gemayel called on Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri to issue a clear response to the Iranian threat.

In October, Lebanese Movement for Democratic Change leader Elie Mahfoud tweeted that Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Quds force, had arrived in Beirut as protests swept the nation.

Mahfoud questioned whether Soleimani’s arrival had anything to do with promises made by Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah to “prevent the fall of the besieged Hezbollah government?” The Lebanese politician also said that it’s time to stop Iranian intervention in Lebanon.

Soleimani’s arrival was not confirmed by any official source, according to Erem News.

Shortly after the protests began in Lebanon, the Iranian Supreme National Security Council held an emergency meeting including representatives of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the IRGC and Hezbollah, according to a report by Arabic daily Al-Jarida. The representatives agreed that the demonstrations are legitimate and decided to not participate in the demonstrations and instead simply monitor them.

A source from the Supreme National Security Council told Al-Jarida that Iran’s perception of the protests changed after reports of an international attempt by Iran’s enemies to overthrow the Hariri government and keep the country in a constitutional vacuum.

According to the report, a second meeting was convened by the council and a decision was made to send Soleimani to Beirut with “extraordinary powers to face the scheme.” The report did not clarify what was meant by “extraordinary powers.”

United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called on Lebanese authorities to “deal with unauthorized armed groups,” adding that the UN recognizes that it is important for Lebanon to “disarm militias and stop violations of state sovereignty,” according to news agency Asharq Al-Awsat.

Head of the Lebanese Kataeb party MP Sami Gemayel lamented in October that Hezbollah’s control over the government embroils Lebanon in regional conflicts against the people’s will. “When the government remains silent over every challenge from Lebanese territory against Arab or foreign countries and all of Lebanon’s historic friends, then this means that this government is complicit,” said Gemayel.

At a Lebanese Forces convention in Canada in October, leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces political party Samir Geagea expressed concerns about Hezbollah’s influence in the country as well, describing Lebanon as a “bus without a driver,” according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

“There are currently two imminent threats to Lebanon: the first is a security-military-strategic threat, seeing as Lebanon is currently like a bus without a driver, which is being driven by someone other than the one behind the steering wheel, and we don’t know where he’ll take us,” said Geagea.

“The decision of peace and war is fully in Hezbollah’s hand, and we hope Hezbollah will not drag us into a war in the region with all its dramatic repercussions.”

The parliamentarian recalled the Israel-Lebanon War in 2006, saying that the Lebanese people went to sleep and woke up the next day at war. Then-prime minister Fouad Siniora said that he didn’t know what had happened and hadn’t approved it, and he did what he could to remedy the negative effects on the Lebanese people.

In an interview with CNBC in September, Prime Minister Hariri described Hezbollah as a “regional problem,” not just a “Lebanese problem.” Hariri added that Israel holds Lebanon responsible for Hezbollah’s action, but that this isn’t true. He acknowledged that he was limited in his ability to keep Hezbollah under control.