The South has “washed away” old grievances… and Tyre has borrowed from Beirut the title of “Mina El Hbayeb.”
While the presidential pilgrimage to Rome completed its political rituals, with its official report expected at a later time, the Lady of the Seas brought Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Defense Minister Michel Menassa together in one frame, after the cloud of the general amnesty bill had passed over Nejmeh Square.
Tyre mended fences, and on its soil, the bonds of government solidarity were strengthened. Side by side, Salam and Menassa inspected the conditions in the southern villages, while in the background, Israel provided the soundtrack, striking Mansouri on the outskirts of Tyre.
During their field visit, the government narrowed the distance between itself and the people of the South. And from point-blank proximity to the suffering of southerners, the tour carried several positive messages. According to political sources, the most significant was the consolidation of the strong relationship between the Grand Serail and Yarzeh.
The sources confirmed that the political and military leadership are in full agreement on the fundamental principles of the state: restoring sovereignty, securing the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation, and ensuring that the South remains solely under the authority of the Lebanese state.
As significant as the visit was, having taken place south of the Litani River and from the Benoit Barakat barracks, it further reinforced the Lebanese Army’s position in a region going through one of its most delicate and difficult phases. As the commander of the South Litani sector, Brigadier General Nicolas Thabet, put it, the Army remains there, steadfast in its positions and faithful to its oath.
Alongside the government’s promise to consolidate sovereignty economically and socially comes an equally important pledge: to stand by the Army and commit to providing all the means necessary for its resilience and success.
Not far from the battlefield and its realities, talk is circulating of a settlement being quietly prepared, under which the Lebanese Army would take control of Ali Al-Taher Hill.
And in connection with the growing responsibilities placed on the military institution, Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal is, according to Al Jadeed’s information, preparing to visit Italy. In military-to-military talks, discussions are expected to address Rome’s role in arrangements following the end of UNIFIL’s mission, as well as the possibility of Italy joining the verification mechanism in the South.
Lebanon’s positions remain firm at all political and military levels. What continues to move, however, is the ongoing Israeli aggression, which shows no sign of stopping.
And on the eve of his electoral battle, Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have been gripped by what Israeli media described as “hot-front hysteria.” He has widened his circle of fire in his electoral campaign toward Syria, after Lebanon, Gaza and the West Bank.
The closer October gets, the higher Netanyahu raises the level of tension.
According to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Netanyahu is a gambler seeking to remain in power, one who has completely lost his mind and is no longer concerned with Israel’s security amid the failure to achieve the objectives of the war. Barak described the latest escalation with Turkey as “reckless and foolish.”
Knesset member Yair Golan echoed that position, saying Netanyahu’s recent wars do not serve Israel’s interests and that he is fighting them for his own personal interests.
An Israeli-versus-Israeli electoral confrontation… running in parallel with another reality: Turkey has not been drawn into the battle. Instead, it pulled from its drawers an arrest warrant against the Hitler of our time and responded to the Abu al-Duhur attack with the Freedom Flotilla.