Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused the Lebanese state of undermining its own authority by failing to hold those responsible for serious security incidents accountable, including the explosives shipment intercepted in Dahr al-Baidar and the recently uncovered cell operating in the area between Bcharre and Batroun.
Speaking at the annual dinner hosted by the Lebanese Forces’ Batroun district at the party’s headquarters in Maarab, Geagea warned that continued inaction would erode public confidence in state institutions and further weaken Lebanon’s standing.
He argued that investigations should go beyond questioning drivers or individuals apprehended at specific locations and identify those who planned, ordered and financed such activities. He also questioned why authorities would limit their investigations to a truck driver carrying explosives when, according to him, Hezbollah officials had publicly claimed responsibility for some of the activities in question.
Geagea stressed that the issue was not Hezbollah’s political presence, which he said was legitimate under the Constitution, but its continued possession of an independent military and security structure outside the authority of state institutions.
He maintained that the existence of an armed organization operating independently of the state prevents the establishment of full state authority, while keeping Lebanon strategically isolated from Arab countries and the international community and discouraging investment, aid and economic recovery.
Rejecting the use of civil peace as a justification for failing to enforce the law, Geagea called on legitimate state institutions to assume their responsibilities, gradually address violations and extend state authority across the country.
The event was attended by Industry Minister Joe Issa El Khoury, Strong Republic bloc MP Ghayath Yazbeck, former MP Fadi Saad, Batroun Union of Municipalities President Roger Yazbeck, local officials, municipal representatives and Lebanese Forces members and supporters.
Speaking at the annual dinner hosted by the Lebanese Forces’ Batroun district at the party’s headquarters in Maarab, Geagea warned that continued inaction would erode public confidence in state institutions and further weaken Lebanon’s standing.
He argued that investigations should go beyond questioning drivers or individuals apprehended at specific locations and identify those who planned, ordered and financed such activities. He also questioned why authorities would limit their investigations to a truck driver carrying explosives when, according to him, Hezbollah officials had publicly claimed responsibility for some of the activities in question.
Geagea stressed that the issue was not Hezbollah’s political presence, which he said was legitimate under the Constitution, but its continued possession of an independent military and security structure outside the authority of state institutions.
He maintained that the existence of an armed organization operating independently of the state prevents the establishment of full state authority, while keeping Lebanon strategically isolated from Arab countries and the international community and discouraging investment, aid and economic recovery.
Rejecting the use of civil peace as a justification for failing to enforce the law, Geagea called on legitimate state institutions to assume their responsibilities, gradually address violations and extend state authority across the country.
The event was attended by Industry Minister Joe Issa El Khoury, Strong Republic bloc MP Ghayath Yazbeck, former MP Fadi Saad, Batroun Union of Municipalities President Roger Yazbeck, local officials, municipal representatives and Lebanese Forces members and supporters.
