AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan, the distinguished Ja'fari Mufti of Lebanon, in a message addressed to the people of the country, while sharply criticizing the Lebanese government's performance regarding developments in the south, emphasized that one cannot speak of Lebanon while ignoring its south, because the security of the south is inextricably linked to Lebanon's security and sovereignty.
Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan stated in this message, "One cannot speak of Lebanon without speaking of its south, a region that is enduring pressure and damage before the eyes of Lebanon's executive branch."
Criticizing the Lebanese government's policies toward the south, he added, "Today's issue is not only that the executive branch does not want to defend the south, but the set of policies that have placed the south under pressure, besieging and exhausting it and preventing the provision of livelihoods and relief in this region, is concerning."
The distinguished Ja'fari Mufti of Lebanon described the south as Lebanon's "mother issue" and said, "Threatening the south means threatening Lebanon, national partnership, internal security, and the historical project of state formation in this country. Nevertheless, instead of confronting these threats, the government is embroiled in internal disputes and tensions and efforts to exclude the southern front from sovereign equations."
Qabalan, referring to the importance of defending southern Lebanon, stated, "Defending the south is an existential, sovereign, national, and covenant necessity, and resistance on this path plays a fundamental role in defending Lebanon."
He added that the resistance, through its sacrifices, has prevented the Zionist regime from being able to bring Lebanon under its domination and destroy the country's historical and popular existence.
He also emphasized, "Lebanon's security is indivisible, and southern Lebanon reveals the extent of every Lebanese and every political current's commitment to the country's national framework."
According to him, resolving the current crisis requires a national stance and practical measures to prevent the deepening of internal rifts and further harm to the south.
The Ja'fari Mufti of Lebanon, in another part of his remarks, criticized the current government's policies and said, "The government's national responsibility requires it to stand by its people regarding sovereign and fateful issues, rather than linking Lebanon's security to foreign security considerations and plans."
Qabalan also, referring to regional developments, assessed America as being on the path to defeat and claimed that developments related to the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab are signs of an unprecedented regional and international earthquake.
He warned about the consequences of continuing current policies for Lebanon and considered them a factor in the escalation of the political and national crisis in the country.
Qabalan emphasized that southern Lebanon is a fundamental and non-negligible issue for the country and said, "Lebanon's national partnership begins with the south, and without the south, neither political partnership nor national solidarity will have meaning."
Qabalan concluded by emphasizing the role of the resistance and the sacrifices of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement in defending Lebanon, and said the south and its people will not surrender to pressures and threats.
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