Christian leader in Lebanon urges US, allies to intervene to stop Hezbollah
The head of a political party and a Christian coalition group in Lebanon is calling on the US and its Western allies to intervene and use military forces to permanently dismantle Hezbollah.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Ibrahim Mrad, president of the Universal Syriac Union Party and secretary general of the Lebanese Christian Front, said that now is the time for the US, UK and Germany to send troops in cooperation with the United Nations. , and the Lebanese army, finally dismantled the Iranian-backed terrorist group.
“If so [were] delay, the Mullah can get, again, more power, and that will be, again, impossible [to dismantle Hezbollah],” Murad said through a translator referring to the leaders of the Islamic Republic, led by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Mourners raise their hands and chant slogans during a funeral procession for Hezbollah fighters killed in an Israeli strike in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, September 21, 2024. (Associated Press)
ISRAEL WARNS IT WILL GO DIRECTLY BEHIND LEBANON IF IT SUPPORTS FIRE WITH HEZBOLLAH FALLS.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said earlier last month that Hezbollah was “defeated” in Lebanon after more than a month of attacks aimed at destroying the terrorist group’s strongholds in southern Lebanon and the capital Beirut, especially in the Dahiyeh area.
A 13-point ceasefire was agreed late last month between Israel and Hezbollah. that largely ended the strikes, although sporadic attacks have since been waged by both sides.
But reports this month suggested that US intelligence officials believe that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, has not done anything to dismantle its military operations in Lebanon – a key pillar of the deal – and that it may be looking to rebuild its forces and elites.
Lebanese Christian Syriac Catholic scouts hold a statue of the Virgin Mary during a procession marking the month of the Virgin Mary in a Christian square in Beirut on May 27, 2016. The Syriac Catholic Church is part of the See of Antioch and extends from the back. on the origins of Christianity in the Levant. (Photo by PATRICK BAZ/AFP via Getty Images)
The American intelligence service has reportedly revealed that Hezbollah continues to recruit from its ranks as it has been attacking Israel until November. It has also been reported to be trying to re-arm itself through domestic production and human trafficking efforts through Syria, although it is unclear how these efforts have affected the neighboring nation this past week.
The Christian Front, led by Murad, said in a meeting at its headquarters in Achrafieh in Beirut earlier this month that it does not believe that a ceasefire will be held between Israel and Hezbollah. It therefore urges members of the Lebanese Parliament to request the deployment of international troops amid “the expected failure of the ceasefire agreement.”
Ibrahim Mrad, president of the Universal Syriac Union Party and general secretary of, Dec. 6, 2024.
INTERMEDIATE: LOOKING AT HEZBOLLAH’S PLAN TO IMPACT AND ATTACK NORTHERN ISRAEL
Mrad explained to Fox News Digital that although, according to his estimation, about 70 percent of the country does not support Hezbollah, the government and the army are not strong enough to disperse this terrorist group or to prevent it from becoming a future threat to Israel. , a situation that risks a repetition of past failures.
Previous international agreements under UN Resolution 1559, signed in 2004, and Resolution 1701, signed in 2006, called for the disarmament and disbandment of all armed groups and the deployment of UN and Lebanese forces to the south of the country to prevent the -Hezbollah in profit. it takes place in the border areas of Israel. Both resolutions failed to materialize.
Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, a suburb south of Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
“We know now, in this situation, the Lebanese army could not use Resolution 1559 to force Hezbollah to [drop] their arms,” Murad told Fox News Digital through a translator. “That’s why we’re asking for help from the United Nations. They can go in and use those two options… [but] we want Americans, Germans and British to be in these forces.”
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach the State Department for comment on whether the US had been contacted by Lebanon about the request to send US troops.
Concerns in Beirut that the cease-fire will fail are linked to threats made this week by Israel’s defense minister that Jerusalem will no longer be divided between Lebanon and Hezbollah if the terrorist group violates the agreement.
A motorcade of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon passes through the Marjayoun area in southern Lebanon on Dec. 4. 2024, during the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. (Getty Images)
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When asked about Katz’s warning last week, the Lebanese Christian leader said this approach would be a “mistake” that could change Jerusalem.
“If they do that, the people of Lebanon will be against Israel. As I said before, most of the people are against Hezbollah now, not against Israel,” he said.
“If they point [civilians]that would be a mistake,” he added, noting that he did not believe that Jerusalem would begin pursuing policies other than Hezbollah’s.
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