Raji: Hezbollah dragged the country into two consecutive wars in the past two years
The remarks made by Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rameh during his participation in the 166th session of the Arab League, held in Cairo at the level of foreign ministers, took on special significance as they carried the first indications of Beirut’s desire to place its direct negotiations with Israel, under US sponsorship, and the tripartite framework agreement signed on June 26, under an Arab umbrella.
The speech was also distinguished by what resembled an official Lebanese complaint against Hezbollah before the Arab League, in light of the group’s provocation of Israel into waging two wars on the country.
Lebanese political circles viewed Rameh’s positions as explaining the fierce campaign launched by Hezbollah a few days ago against the draft resolution on solidarity with the Lebanese Republic submitted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which the minister was personally attacked. It is worth noting that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam clarified on Sunday, in response to comments by Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces party, regarding Rameh’s “exclusion” from presidential visits abroad, that the Lebanese foreign minister expresses the foreign policy set by the Council of Ministers.
In his speech before Arab foreign ministers, Rameh affirmed “Lebanon’s solidarity with the Gulf Arab states and Jordan in the face of Iranian aggression, which he described as hostile and systematic, and which seeks to trade the security of these states for narrow and opportunistic interests.”
Condemning “the continuous Israeli aggression and its violations of international law provisions, as well as its occupation of large areas of Lebanese territory,” he recalled what Hezbollah had done “during the past two years in dragging Lebanon into the furnace of two successive wars, despite repeated warnings about the dangers of tampering with Lebanon’s security and dragging it into such destructive conflicts.”
Rameh pointed to “the diplomatic track and negotiations under US sponsorship,” considering it “the most effective way to stop the aggression and compel Israel to withdraw to beyond the internationally recognized borders.” He affirmed that “the tripartite framework reached with the United States and Israel will ultimately lead to the complete Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, the return of displaced persons to their villages (...) as well as the disarmament of all armed groups and the monopoly of weapons solely with the legitimate Lebanese authorities.”
With the end of the UNIFIL mandate approaching at the end of 2026, he stressed “Lebanon’s need for renewed international support and presence under the UN banner,” affirming “the continuation of consultations with the United Nations and relevant states with a view to establishing an enhanced UN mechanism to oversee the implementation of Resolution 1701 and the tripartite framework.”
