Israel escalates as Aoun’s visit to Washington approaches; sponsor: Lebanon is invited to choose the path of statehood, not mini-states
Beirut — Mansour Shaaban: As the date of Tuesday, July 21, 2026, approaches—the scheduled visit of President of the Republic General Joseph Aoun to the United States to meet U.S. President Donald Trump—tensions in southern Lebanon have intensified. This is marked by the daily continuous flight of drones over Beirut and its suburbs, and the outbreak of fires around the Hamra farm in Eastern Zouk, caused by shelling that has been targeting the Nabatieh town of Kafr Tbnit for some time, as well as the systematic search of Haris Narieh and the bombing of homes in Majdal Zoun and Bint Jbeil.
The municipality of Bint Jbeil issued a statement addressed to the Lebanese government, the Presidency of the Republic, and relevant authorities, stating: “We wish to say that the policy of silence and passivity is no longer acceptable. The state is required today, more than ever, to take immediate and effective action to protect what remains of the city, and to raise its voice in international forums to halt this architectural massacre.”
The statement emphasized that the Israeli army is implementing a “systematic plan of architectural genocide” against the homes of Bint Jbeil and all its neighborhoods, using “more than 20 heavy excavators in an organized operation to erase the city’s landmarks.” This operation does not stop at demolition alone; it extends to stealing the contents of homes before their destruction, and looting iron and construction materials after the sites are filled in.
Meanwhile, the sermon of Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros al-Rai, delivered from the Patriarchal Summer Residence in Deir el-Qamar, highlighted that “Lebanon today is called upon, more than ever, to choose the path of truth, not the path of illusions; the path of the state, not the logic of petty fiefdoms; and the path of dialogue, not the language of weapons. Amid the rapid developments unfolding in the region, the choice remains clear: either implement the Framework Agreement, which guarantees the state’s sovereignty over its entire territory, its independence, and its stability, or return to the vortex of war, which brings our peoples nothing but destruction, killing, displacement, and suffering.”
He added, “We desire peace and reject war. We want a peace that preserves human dignity, safeguards Lebanon’s sovereignty, and restores trust among its citizens, because nations are not built on the logic of dominance, but on the logic of partnership; they do not stabilize through force, but through justice; and they flourish only when the national interest is placed above all else.”
As for the Metropolitan of Beirut for the Greek Orthodox Church, Bishop Elias Auad, he stated during Sunday’s liturgy that “the homeland is not a place for boasting about talents and achievements, but a place where everyone lives in unity of love, fraternity, and shared destiny.” He called upon “the sons of one nation to bear one another’s burdens and to understand one another. Our Lebanon needs its sons to love one another and to live in mutual respect and trust. Therefore, we raise prayers for everyone to return to their senses.”
