Lebanese cleric calls for national unity amid tensions in south
Sayyed Ali Fadlallah urges vigilance, stronger government action and assistance for displaced Lebanese
Lebanese cleric Sayyed Ali Fadlallah called for national unity and vigilance amid reported Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon. He urged the Lebanese government to defend the country’s sovereignty, halt the bloodshed and assist displaced people. He also called for dialogue and an end to the blockade in Yemen, while Hezbollah parliamentarian Hussein al-Hajj Hassan discussed regional tensions and recent historical events.
BEIRUT — Prominent Lebanese cleric Sayyed Ali Fadlallah has called on Lebanese citizens to preserve national unity and remain vigilant amid what he described as continued Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
According to Iran’s IRNA, citing Al Nashra, Fadlallah said attacks on villages and towns in the south, along with the destruction of buildings, institutions and infrastructure, were intended to weaken residents’ morale. He said Israel had declared the areas a security zone and would not withdraw except under conditions of its own choosing, rather than terms that safeguard Lebanon’s right to sovereignty over its territory.
Fadlallah urged the Lebanese government, which he said bears responsibility for sovereignty over the entire country, to take a firm position on the ongoing events and intensify efforts to stop the bloodshed.
He also called on Lebanese citizens not to fall into what he described as the enemy’s trap or allow internal divisions to weaken them, saying that the adversary serves none of their interests. He urged the government to pay greater attention to displaced Lebanese who have lost their homes, land and livelihoods.
Addressing developments in Yemen, Fadlallah called for an end to bloodshed and destruction, a return to dialogue to secure the freedom and legitimate rights of the Yemeni people, and an end to the blockade. He also warned against the spread of conflict across the region.
The report came a day after Hezbollah parliamentarian Hussein al-Hajj Hassan, speaking at the “Pulse of the Earth” festival, referred to what he described as new regional equations involving oil and military bases. He said Iran had informed Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri that Lebanon would be part of any agreement reached by Tehran’s allies with the United States.
Al-Hajj Hassan also referred to the anniversary of the pager explosions and the Sabra and Shatila massacre, describing them as evidence of what he called Israel’s brutality and that of its domestic and foreign allies in Lebanon.