2023-12-31 08:09:37
Saad Elias wrote in “Al-Quds Al-Arabi”:
The events in the south caught attention in 2023 after the security situation exploded on the southern front between Hezbollah and Israel in the context of support for Gaza. If the end of the year witnessed an international and Lebanese debate about the actual implementation of Resolution 1701, with Hezbollah rejecting any amendment to the resolution and expanding the powers of UNIFIL, then the irony is that the beginning of the year witnessed the military court claiming 7 suspects in the UNIFIL incident, including a detainee who was handed over by Hezbollah and later released.
The year witnessed the continuation of the presidential vacuum due to the failure of the House of Representatives to elect a new president of the republic due to the Shiite duo’s adherence to its candidate, the head of the “Marada Movement,” Suleiman Franjieh, and not going to a third option despite the opposition’s abandonment of its candidate, Representative Michel Moawad, and its intersection with the Free Patriotic Movement to vote for a district director. Middle East at the International Monetary Fund, former Minister Jihad Azour. In the timeline of events in the year 2023, we can stop at the following:
On January 5, two months after the beginning of the presidential vacuum, Hezbollah rushed to elect a president by consensus, while the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, believed that “the external password has not yet come.” As for Lebanon, it was almost plunged into total darkness due to the depletion of fuel oil and the electrical clash between caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the Free Patriotic Movement.
On January 11, Mikati insisted on holding a second session of the Council of Ministers in light of questions about the position of Hezbollah ministers on participation. As for Hezbollah’s Secretary General, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, he appeared to talk about 9,378 new mobilizers in Hezbollah.
On January 14, protest movements were recorded in front of the General Directorate of State Security, rejecting the practices of the police state through the continued arrest of activist William Noun, who is demanding to reveal the truth in the Beirut port bombing case.
January 16 Christian circles began to propose federalism as a solution to the Lebanese crisis and multiple loyalties after the head of the Forces Party, Samir Geagea, threatened to reconsider the state’s composition to get rid of Hezbollah’s “tyranny.”
January 17, Nasrallah appeared to comment on the position of Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai regarding the lack of intention to replace the first Maronite position and to say to Bassil, “When we attend the cabinet session, we do not challenge anyone, nor do we challenge a charter or a partnership.”
On the 20th of the same month, Lebanon lost its right to vote in the United Nations due to failure to pay what was owed, while Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nabih Berri, expressed his dissatisfaction with what he called the “sit-in theatre” by representatives Melhem Khalaf and Najat Saliba in the session hall.
On January 26, a judicial coup took place amid questions about who wanted to bury the truth about the port bombing. The discriminatory public prosecutor, Judge Ghassan Oweidat, referred the forensic investigator, Judge Tariq Al-Bitar, to inspection after his allegations against senior judges and security leaders. Oweidat released all those arrested, and severe tension occurred in front of the Palace of Justice and a fight. Among the deputies and companions of the Minister of Justice, it was followed by a demand for the minister’s resignation.
On January 27, the concern for livelihood topped the Lebanese’s priorities after the lira collapsed to its lowest levels against the dollar, which had a negative impact on fuel prices, which rose insanely.
On February 14, President Saad Hariri, who suspended his political activity, commemorated the anniversary of his father’s assassination among his supporters, who asked him to stay because the Sunni arena would not remain an orphan.
On March 2, President Berri announced Franjieh’s candidacy for the presidency and mocked the other team’s candidate, whom he described as a “tube experiment.” The candidate, Moawad, responded, accusing Berri of being “a militiaman and a professor of corruption.” This was followed by the Secretary-General of Hezbollah adopting Franjieh’s nomination and “calling on him for dialogue or coexistence with Presidential vacuum.
March 24 Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s sudden decision to postpone daylight saving time sparked confusion and chaos in flights and took a sectarian turn, with Bkerke and the Christian parties taking a unified position by disobeying the decision. The Lebanese woke up to two times before Mikati backed down.
On April 5, 54 Christian representatives met at the invitation of the Maronite Patriarch, who asked them, “What did you do to facilitate the election of the president?” At a time when the Shiite duo did not respond to Bkerke’s call to submit 3 nominations and remained committed to Franjieh’s nomination.
April 6: 20 missiles were launched from southern Lebanon towards northern occupied Palestine, and Israel decided to respond without entering into a war. Hezbollah denied its relationship.
On April 21, France backed down from the presidential swap between Franjieh and Salam after mounting Christian criticism.
On May 8, the invitation of Syrian regime President Bashar al-Assad to the Arab summit sparked welcome from Berri and sarcasm from Jumblatt Sr., who likened the Arab League to the Titanic.
On May 16, an international arrest warrant was issued against the Governor of the Bank of Lebanon, who failed to appear before the French judiciary amid calls for his resignation in exchange for his reservations about not respecting the presumption of innocence.
May 21: Hezbollah military maneuver in Armati and a warning to Israel of dark days, while opponents asked, “Where are the army and the government when it comes to violating sovereignty?”
On June 6, former President Michel Aoun went to Damascus to meet with Assad, a visit he refrained from making during his six-year reign in light of the rift between the movement and Hezbollah presidentially.
June 14: An election session was held, and Jihad Azour received 59 votes and Franjieh 51. The quorum was reached in the second session, with the Shiite duo leaving the session in light of the opposition’s boasting and opposition to achieving a victory.
June 22: A tour by French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, who hoped to get Lebanon out of its crisis.
June 25, Walid Jumblatt transfers leadership to his son Timur after 46 years of struggle and challenges, and addresses him: “Walk, Timur, and do not be afraid.”
On July 2, a security incident shook Bsharri, accompanied by calls not to be drawn into sectarian or regional strife.
On July 13, the European Parliament’s vote to keep displaced Syrians in Lebanon sparked anger and reactions against it.
On July 27, clashes broke out in Ain al-Hilweh camp, and a call was made to the Mufti of the Republic to stop the fighting. An official in the Fatah movement spoke of attempts to expel it and introduce Jund al-Sham, with the knowledge of Hezbollah.
On July 31, Riad Salameh bid farewell to the Bank of Lebanon after 30 years, and First Deputy Wassim Mansouri took over acting responsibility.
On August 6, statements were issued by Gulf embassies calling on their nationals in Lebanon to be cautious or to leave, and Mikati responded by saying, “There is no need to panic.”
August 9: A Hezbollah weapons truck overturned on the outskirts of the Christian town of Kahala, resulting in a clash that resulted in the death of the party and another of the town’s residents, amid political and sectarian turmoil and the sovereign forces’ refusal to coexist with the state’s weapons.
August 29 The Army Commander announces that he “does not aspire to the presidency, but will accept the challenge if the stage calls for it” and deplores “campaigns to target.”
On September 24, a Qatari envoy sought the opinions of Lebanese leaders regarding three names for the presidency: Joseph Aoun, Elias Al-Bisari, and Neama Ephrem.
On October 2, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah denied offering concessions on the land borders in exchange for American support for Franjieh and his call to condemn any Arab country heading toward normalization.
On October 8, the southern front flared up between Hezbollah and Israel, with support for Gaza and a threat from Hashem Safi al-Din to repeat the scene of entering the settlements dozens of times from Lebanon.
On November 1, President Najib Mikati announced, “Enough with wars, choose peace,” with bated breath awaiting Nasrallah’s speech after weeks of silence for fear of entering into war. Two days later, he denied knowledge of the “Al-Aqsa Flood” operation.
November 23 Hezbollah received a painful blow with the martyrdom of cadres from the Radwan Division, including the son of the head of the “Loyalty to the Resistance” bloc.
On December 5, the Hamas movement in Lebanon rejected the statement of launching the “vanguards of the Al-Aqsa flood,” and opponents of the axis of resistance asked, “Have we moved from the Fatah-land phase to the Hamas-land phase?”
December 6: A solidarity visit by the Maronite Patriarch to Tyre, in solidarity with the South, in light of French messages calling for the effective implementation of Resolution 1701 and Israeli threats to remove Hezbollah from the border.
December 15: The extension of the term of the Army Commander, General Joseph Aoun, in the House of Representatives after a sharp political clash between the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement.
Statements:
Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rai commented, “Our fear is not that the identity of the President of the Maronite Republic and his sect will change, but rather that his policy and principles will change and he will join policies, axes, and countries that struggle day and night to control the country and turn it into one of its regions.”
Leaving:
On January 11, Lebanon lost a prominent national and parliamentary figure, President Hussein Al-Husseini, whose name was associated with the National Accord Document and who was known for his paternity of the Taif Agreement that ended the Lebanese War and for keeping his secret minutes, which he refused to publish.
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#explosion #southern #front #continued #vacancy #dramatic #collapse #lira