The head of the Lebanese party, the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, is concerned that southern Lebanon could be separated from the country due to Israel’s moves. Israel has launched a limited ground incursion into Lebanon over the last week.
Hezbollah attacked Israel on March 2, and Israel has seized on this to carry out strikes on Hezbollah. Hezbollah has increased its rocket fire, with large barrages and salvos fired every day. Hezbollah also has long-range rockets, and it has attacked many areas in Israel. Reports in Israel have said that the country is prepared for a widening operation that could take over areas south of the Litani.
Hezbollah has long used areas in southern Lebanon as bases to attack Israel. Hezbollah also has bases in central Lebanon in the Bekaa Valley. Lebanon was supposed to disarm Hezbollah in the last year. However, the leaders in Lebanon have not acted. Israel wants the group disarmed.
Al-Akhbar, a pro-Iranian website in Lebanon noted on March 19 that “the head of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP [Member of Parliament] Gebran Bassil, expressed his concern about the separation of southern Litani from Lebanon, considering that ‘the Israelis realize that the missiles that are launched come from a distance of up to 160 kilometers, and therefore the security belt does not provide them with protection.’”
Bassil has been critical of Hezbollah over the last year. Asharq Al-Awsat noted in 2024 that “Free Patriotic Movement MP Gebran Bassil announced that his party was no longer in alliance with Hezbollah.”
Bassil is the current head of the Free Patriotic Movement, a Lebanese political party founded by Michel Aoun in 1994. Bassil is Aoun's son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, and he has run the party since 2015. The party is a Christian political party; however, in the past, it has allied with Hezbollah.
It has 13 seats in parliament. The other major Christian party, Lebanese Forces, led by Samir Geagea, has 19 seats in parliament and opposes Hezbollah.
Bassil spoke in a television interview this week about what might come next in Lebanon. Whenever the resistance [Hezbollah] in Lebanon shows resilience, Israel becomes more ferocious,” he said.
He noted that “the duration of the war is unpredictable, especially since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy is based on war, and what’s more dangerous is that he is facing elections in October, which makes him unable to stop the machine that is extending his stay in the premiership.”
Now he accuses Israel of “ethnic cleansing, which is very dangerous.” He has called on all Lebanese, “Christians and non-Christians, to stay in their land, as there can be no discrimination between the sons of one people.”
Bassil: Lebanon must stay neutral as Hezbollah drags it into war
The Lebanese party leader says that “Lebanon must be kept neutral from the conflicts of the axes, because any connection to the wars of others will cost the Lebanese people dearly, especially since no one can guarantee the results of these wars,” considering that “Hezbollah did not slip into the war, but rather dragged the country into it, and since the war of support for Gaza, the decline began, while the victory remains relative.”
He went on to say that “there is no possibility of Iran defeating the United States or Hezbollah defeating Israel, but there is a possibility of resistance. If this resistance is used to liberate the land and join the state, then this is good, but if it is used to prioritize the party’s decision over the state’s, then this is not positive.”
Bassil also said, "Hezbollah must realize that its military presence is over, but it is a mistake to believe that its political presence can be eliminated." He referenced former Lebanese president Michel Aoun, who has said it is better to fight abroad than at home.
"I condemn the threat of internal war, and I refuse to conceal the facts, at a time when some are calling for Syrian intervention and hoping that Israel will complete what it is doing." Bassil also referenced potential direct talks with Israel.
These are “mere formal negotiations, and it is better not to proceed with them without something in return, especially since Lebanon has negotiated with Israel seven times previously and the result has not changed…any negotiation that aims only to perpetuate the occupation is unacceptable.”
He also discussed the possibility that Syria may intervene in Lebanon. He expressed "concern about the border situation, especially since certain powers and countries are encouraging Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to contribute to the disarmament of Hezbollah."
The Lebanese party leader says several dangers exist in Lebanon, noting “whoever thinks that they might end Hezbollah is mistaken, as they strengthen its role.” He claims there is a conspiracy now pushing a “Sunni-Shia strife project.”
Bassil said that “the aggression against the Emirates is completely unacceptable,” noting that “there is an American agenda in the region, and that the war in the Middle East has an economic dimension that goes beyond Iran to China, given the understanding that whoever controls the waterways controls the global economy.”