AhlulBayt News Agency: Lebanon’s Grand Mufti Jafari, Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, has called on the Lebanese government and political forces to take firm, decisive positions in defense of the country’s sovereignty amid escalating regional tensions and continued Israeli aggression.
Hawzah News Agency- Speaking at the Imam Hussein (PBUH) Mosque in Burj al-Barajneh, Sheikh Qabalan said recent regional and international developments have placed the Lebanese before an undeniable national truth: “There is no alternative to Lebanon, and any deviation from this reality places the country and its people in the trenches of misguidance and danger.”
Unity Over Power Games
The senior cleric warned against internal political hostilities driven by factional ambitions, foreign agendas, and personal gain. He stressed that Lebanon — a small country with limited resources and a complex geopolitical environment — can only endure through national cohesion.
“The solution lies in reinforcing our patriotism,” he said, urging political actors to abandon “the lust for power, wealth, electoral influence, guided grudges, and American projects that bring nothing but chaos and destruction.”
National Unity Against Israel’s Aggression
Sheikh Qabalan underscored that Lebanon today needs uncompromising unity against Israel and vigilance toward foreign schemes aimed at destabilizing the country. He emphasized that Lebanon’s security challenge concerns the nation as a whole, not any single sect or political bloc.
He called on all religious institutions — mosques, churches, and various places of worship — to adopt positions that safeguard the country from “Zionist terrorism and American regional projects designed to dismantle the nations of the region in favor of Israel’s expansionist objectives.”
Government Must Break Its Silence
The Lebanese Grand Mufti warned that political silence in the face of developments in the south and the Bekaa is “dangerous,” particularly from leaders who have withdrawn from the national scene at a critical moment.
He urged the government to announce bold sovereign positions, support citizens in frontline regions, and reinforce the national decision-making process.
Call for Real Governance, Not Slogans
On domestic issues, Sheikh Qabalan said Lebanon’s social, health, educational, and security crises demand immediate and responsible government action.
“Without real social and economic development, Lebanon cannot rise,” he said, stressing the need to activate state institutions, curb rampant corruption, and modernize public services through digital transformation.
He criticized administrative stagnation, favoritism, and bureaucratic inefficiency, saying the Lebanese people have endured enough “humiliation.”
Praise for Nabih Berri; Warning Against Sectarian Maneuvering
In his concluding remarks, Sheikh Qabalan affirmed that Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri remains “a cornerstone of Lebanese democracy and the strongest national guarantor of institutional and contractual representation.”
He described attempts by some groups to dismantle existing electoral frameworks as “a betrayal and a trade for the benefit of others.” The path forward, he said, lies in either fair power-sharing agreements or elections conducted outside the sectarian system.
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