The Vice President of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali Al-Khatib, praised the position of the Lebanese Army leadership, considering that it maintained the role of the military institution in protecting the country’s unity, at a time when he directed sharp criticism at the political path followed in dealing with Israel, and called on the authority to reconsider its calculations and return to an inclusive national dialogue.
During the funeral of Brigadier General Saleh Haj Suleiman in the town of Bednayel in the Bekaa Valley, Al-Khatib praised the army leadership “which refused to conform and give up its honor and dignity in preserving Lebanon, its people, its land and its dignity,” considering that the position of the military establishment “made a difference today in the face of the decline in the political position and preserved the unity of this country in the face of political division.”
He said that the army constitutes a unifying factor among the Lebanese, as opposed to political forces that he accused of dividing the country along regional and sectarian lines, adding: “Lebanon is one as long as the Lebanese army is one, and the army unites Lebanon.”
Al-Khatib believed that it was important to record the position of the army, which, as he put it, did not go to confront the people of the south who took up arms in defense of their land, considering that it did not take the direction that some politicians wanted and did not enter into a clash with those he described as defending Lebanon alongside him.
He warned that the danger facing Lebanon is not limited to Israeli attacks, but also includes internal division on sectarian, sectarian and regional grounds, considering that this division may create the conditions for Israel to achieve its goals.
He stressed the need to preserve national unity among all Lebanese, considering that the army and people constitute a guarantee of Lebanon’s unity and a strength in confronting Israel. He said that the internal division was what allowed Israel to control parts of Lebanese territory, adding that if the Lebanese were united, “Israel would not dream of setting foot on a grain of soil from this country.”
Al-Khatib addressed the Lebanese authority criticizing the option of direct negotiations with Israel, saying that it might have been possible to find justifications for this option in the beginning, but he considered that the failure to recover the lands so far through negotiations requires a re-evaluation of the path.
He added: “For the umpteenth time, we say to this authority: Retract the mistake you committed, and you must stand by your people,” rejecting the description of the resistance as a “state outside the state,” and stressing that state institutions exist, but the problem, according to his vision, begins when the authority is unable to support the army, arm it, and enable it to confront Israel.
Al-Khatib recalled the experience of the year 2000, considering that the resistance succeeded on that day in liberating Lebanese lands, and pointing out that May 25 became a national occasion linked to the liberation of the south.
He wondered whether the state had the right, when it was unable to defend its lands, to seek help from its people, saying that it was illogical to prevent the people of areas under attack from defending their land and dignity if the state was unable to carry out this task.
Al-Khatib, in light of what he described as the “bitter experience,” called on the Lebanese authority to conduct a comprehensive review of its accounts during the current stage, calling on the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, to call for a national dialogue in which various Lebanese forces participate to agree on how to confront the challenges that the country is going through.
He stressed that internal unity remains, from his point of view, one of the most prominent strengths that Lebanon can rely on in confronting Israel, warning that the continuation of internal divisions will weaken the ability of the state and society together to confront external pressures.
Al-Khatib’s positions come at a time when Lebanon is witnessing a wide political debate about the issue of weapon exclusivity, the role of the army, and the future of Hezbollah’s weapons, after the Council of Ministers decided on March 2, 2026 to ban the party’s security and military activities and oblige it to hand over its weapons to the state, stressing that the decision to make war and peace belongs exclusively to legitimate institutions. He also asked the army to implement its plan to restrict weapons, in parallel with calling on the guarantor countries to pressure Israel to stop its attacks and withdraw from Lebanese territory.
On the other hand, the Lebanese government adheres to the negotiating track, as it announced its readiness to resume negotiations with civilian participation and international sponsorship, and linked any progress on this track to stopping Israeli attacks and implementing corresponding commitments. The President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, had also confirmed that the state is committed to the exclusivity of weapons and the decision of war and peace, at a time when internal disagreement continues over the implementation mechanism and the role of Hezbollah in the next stage.
