Bri: National cohesion, national unity, and the Lebanese army are “red lines” that must not be crossed or violated

Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih Berri called on Lebanese citizens to confront the genocide war waged by Israel through a national approach, free from any regional, partisan, sectarian, or doctrinal calculations. He emphasized that “Lebanon, in its unity and civil peace, is the target,” stressing that “the current phase, with its existential risks for the South and for Lebanon, does not grant anyone the right to manipulate any sovereign titles under any guise.”

In a televised address bearing the slogan “A Trust in the Homeland,” Berri underscored that “civil peace, national unity, and the Lebanese Army are red lines that must not be crossed or violated under any pretext.” He noted that “the South, with all its cities, villages, and towns, does not accept being divided between the north and south of the Litani River, and its geography is not an experimental zone in which the Israeli occupier tests our army and our civil and community institutions under any label. It is unacceptable for the South to serve as a buffer zone or a security belt for anyone.”

He pointed out that “the people of the South have never been, and will never be, proponents of war; rather, they are defenders of the land and honor, and they have been victims of Israeli aggression since 1948, continuing to this day.” He rejected “any concession or suspension of the right of the Lebanese state, institutions, or individuals to prosecute Israel for the genocide crimes it has committed and continues to commit against people and property in the South.”

Berri considered that any call to reconsider the political system in a manner inconsistent with the Taif Agreement constitutes “an innocent and uncalculated gamble” that threatens “Lebanon’s existence, civil peace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”