Geagea questions Hezbollah's fighting capacity as Lebanon pursues Israel talks
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said the two-decade-long campaign to restrict weapons solely to state authorities and bolster national sovereignty has yielded significant milestones.
In an interview published Friday in the Saudi daily Okaz, Geagea lauded the Lebanese Cabinet, arguing that its participation in direct negotiations with Israel in Washington is a primary indicator of change and a proof that Hezbollah has been defeated.
"Despite Hezbollah's opposition to this diplomatic track, the group has failed to stop the negotiations," Geagea said, as he attributed this to a decline in the group's capacity to sustain armed conflict.
The Christian leader considered that Lebanon has made great progress "toward building a functioning democratic state" where the majority determines the country's direction, rather than an armed minority "imposing its will".
Geagea also praised the new regime in Syria, telling Okaz that he has observed no cause for concern under the current leadership in Damascus, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested many times that Syria would do a better job of rooting out Hezbollah than the Israeli army.
"The political rhetoric I have heard aligns with what we have long hoped for," Geagea said, adding that recent security developments along the Lebanese-Syrian border and within Syria itself offer "grounds for reassurance."
Source: Naharnet
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