Lebanon Awaits in 'Month of Major Events' the Reaching of an 'Operational Roadmap' for the 'Framework Agreement'

Beirut – Mansour Shaaban

Lebanon continues to live in a war-like atmosphere during August, a month considered “the month of major events” for Lebanese, as it begins with the celebration of the “Army Founding Day.” This month has also witnessed significant events.

In these days, Israeli raids in the south are ongoing, anticipating the next round of diplomatic negotiations aimed at reaching a “some agreement” that would complete the “framework agreement” with Israel, which was reached under US sponsorship. The ongoing efforts aim to achieve consensus on a “framework map” that outlines what is agreed upon and implemented practically. However, Israelis continue to carry out massive explosions, particularly in the Ali al-Tahir hill and Kafr Rumman areas, whose echoes reverberate deep into the south and nearby regions, in addition to setting fires and ground incursions starting from Al-Bayada toward Bayt al-Siyad, and then to Mansouri, coinciding with intensive aerial flights over Beirut and the “Suburb.”

Meanwhile, Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara al-Ra'i said in his Sunday homily in Deir al-Qamar yesterday, in the presence of Monsignor Natalie Albino from the Secretariat of State of the Holy See: “Our country needs, amidst the multitude of voices, positions, and calculations, to know what is fundamental and what is secondary. Lebanon is tired of much talk and little listening, tired of much movement and little direction, tired of managing crises instead of addressing their core. Our national reality is filled with many files, disputes, and interests, and many voices, while what is required is that Lebanon... the State, and the human being, remain.”

Al-Ra'i added: “In the south, our people are still paying the price of attacks and escalation. Therefore, we pray for the victims and those affected, for the protection of our people and our land, for stopping these attacks, and for the return of stability to villages and homes, so that the people of the south can remain in their land, safe and honored. We look forward to the ongoing negotiations yielding a lasting solution that safeguards Lebanon and its rights, leads to the cessation of attacks, withdrawal from its land, and the restoration of its full sovereignty. The talks held in Rome are still examining these files and have not yet reached the desired solution.”

He continued: “We emphasize that only the State should possess sovereignty and decision-making authority over its entire territory, and that the army and legitimate institutions should be the guarantee of the country’s unity, security, and stability. A country cannot stand with two decisions, a state cannot function with parallel authorities, and sovereignty is indivisible. Sovereignty means extending the state’s authority over its entire territory, with decision-making power resting solely with legitimate institutions.”

He stressed: “We stand with the Lebanese Army in its national mission, and we want it to be strong, capable of protecting borders, consolidating stability, and extending state authority, because it is the army of the nation and an institution for all Lebanese.”

Patriarch al-Ra'i concluded: “As for justice, it must not become a point of view or a political settlement.”