The Loyalty to the Resistance bloc said in a statement that “the Lebanese authorities have ushered our beloved homeland, Lebanon, into a new and extremely dangerous phase for its existence as a sovereign, free and independent nation, for the unity of its territory, the safety of its people, its internal cohesion and national unity, when they submitted obediently to American dictates and moved toward the option of direct negotiations with the Zionist enemy, contrary to the national will and in disregard of the National Pact and all the country’s pillars of strength, foremost among them its heroic resistance and its steadfast, sacrificing people.”
The bloc reviewed the situation amid the escalation of Zionist aggression and the increasing pace of its crimes against Lebanon, and concluded the following:
“1- The authorities have plunged the country into great evil and a major predicament by complying with Washington’s administration and submitting to Israeli dictates. They renounced all the commitments they had previously announced as preconditions for entering any negotiating process, namely a ceasefire and the enemy’s withdrawal from occupied الأراضي, and chose to resort to direct negotiations even without either of these two conditions being met. The enemy responded with further attacks and massacres, especially on Black Wednesday, which led to the martyrdom of hundreds and more than a thousand wounded across various Lebanese regions, while imposing all of its conditions on the Lebanese side without the slightest regard for any Lebanese interest or national sovereignty. We have the right to ask those who drifted far and rushed toward the option of negotiations whether they were able to render a service or bring any benefit to Lebanon by adopting this path that nearly squanders its fate. We must also warn of the dangers of gradually slipping into Israeli traps and the blackmail the enemy uses against those who show a desire to negotiate with it, by luring them into phone calls, handshakes, or exchanges of congratulations and condolences.
2- While we affirm our commitment to a ceasefire with caution, this is on condition that it be comprehensive for all Lebanese regions, including the border area, that it include a halt to hostilities and restrictions on the enemy’s freedom of movement, and that it serve as a prelude to Israeli withdrawal,” explaining that “the ceasefire was reached primarily against the backdrop of Iranian pressure and contacts.
Restricting the ceasefire to a period of ten days is intended to blackmail the Lebanese government and accelerate the course of direct negotiations, which will have bad and dangerous consequences.
3- The bloc extends to all Lebanese, especially the families of the martyrs and the wounded, its highest expressions of sympathy for the fallen martyrs, wishing the wounded a speedy recovery. It believes that their sacrifices, steadfastness and resilience are what preserved the country’s dignity and honor, and will preserve its existence, independence and sovereignty and achieve its full liberation, God willing.
As it holds fast to the option of resistance to confront Zionist excess and depravity in targeting areas and towns across all Lebanese governorates, it places international community institutions and human rights and humanitarian organizations around the world before their responsibilities regarding the crimes, massacres, indiscriminate destruction and exterminatory methods employed by the Zionist enemy in Lebanon, in full view and hearing of the states that claim concern for security, peace and human rights.
4- The authorities have placed themselves and the country before dangerous challenges by adopting a path of squandering, concession and surrender to the enemy’s will. Their diplomacy and alleged lamentations have not been able to save a single life or prevent aggression against the land and sovereignty; rather, they have placed Lebanon on a dangerous path represented by its inability to meet the Zionist enemy’s demands and impossible conditions, which infringe on national sovereignty, the homeland’s security and internal peace, and threaten to strip it of its natural resources.
5- Before the announcement of the ceasefire, the resistance continued its heroic confrontation of the Israeli enemy’s attempts to occupy our southern villages. The fighters recorded legendary feats despite the scale of the raids, shelling and destruction, preventing the enemy from consolidating its footholds while it searched in vain for an image of victory to compensate for the scale of its failures. The bloc paused at the battle of Bint Jbeil, through which the enemy sought to achieve an illusory accomplishment, but the fighters thwarted its efforts through their steadfastness and immense sacrifices, prompting this enemy, as usual, to resort to destruction and the scorched-earth policy. The steadfastness of Bint Jbeil is a living model of the will of the resistance and the sacrifices of its people, with an unbreakable will and unwavering determination.”
