Geagea: Hizbullah Wise Enough Not to Get Involved in Syria if Military Action Taken against it
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea ruled out the possibility that Hizbullah and Iran would retaliate to a U.S.-led strike against Syria, reported As Safir newspaper on Monday.
He told the daily: “I assume that Hizbullah and Iran are wise enough to avoid slipping into a large-scale war.”
Political affiliations in Lebanon will not change in light of a strike against Syria, but that does not mean that Hizbullah will not be affected by any hit against its ally, he said.
This in turn will affect the Lebanese internal scene in one way or another, remarked Geagea.
“The internal scene will become exposed to all possibilities,” he warned without elaborating.
Given the dangers, the LF leader called for the formation of a neutral government that would not be comprised of members of the rival March 8 and 14 camps.
He explained that a political government will “transfer the volatile local and regional situation to cabinet.”
Commenting on the assault on the historic Christian Syrian town of Maalula, Geagea said: “I sympathize completely with the town, but I must express my deep regret that some Lebanese factions have exploited its suffering for petty political gain.”
He condemned the Free Patriotic Movement's exploitation of the Maalula assault for its political interests, saying: “It is shameful that the movement is allied with a regime that does not hesitate to use chemical weapons against its people.”
In addition, he slammed FPM official and caretaker Energy Minister Jebran Bassil's claims that the Maalula attack was aimed at driving Christians out of the East, noting: “Such allegations are a form of propaganda in an effort by dictatorships to portray themselves as being secular regimes that safeguard minorities.”
“The only way to save Maalula and the whole of Syria lies in changing the regime and replacing it with an open and democratic one,” Geagea said.
Moreover, he voiced his support for a “balanced foreign intervention” against the Syrian regime, “otherwise we would be partners in the ongoing crimes being committed against the Syrian people.”
Bassil on Sunday warned that the rebel assault on the Syrian Christian town of Maalula was a “serious signal that the plot to displace Christians from the Levant has started.”
He warned of the rise of takfiris in the region, stressing: “We first need to reject their rise to power and we then need to reject war because it will lead to the displacement of Christians.”
Syrian rebels, including jihadists linked to al-Qaida, have taken control of Maalula north of Damascus, a watchdog and residents said on Sunday.
The battle for the town left at least 17 rebels dead and more than 100 wounded overnight, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, adding that dozens of regime forces and pro-militia members were also killed or wounded.
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