The “Strong Lebanon” Bloc Calls for Investigation into Batroun Incident and Reiterates Demand for Ceasefire and Implementation of Resolution 1701

The “Strong Lebanon” bloc, chaired by Deputy Gebran Bassil, convened for its regular meeting to discuss current events and issued the following statement:
• The bloc asserts that the recent Israeli landing in Batroun underscores Lebanon’s vulnerability and lack of protection against the ongoing Israeli aggressions, which include violations of sovereignty by air, land, and sea. The bloc urges the Lebanese government and the United Nations to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances and responsibilities that allowed this maritime breach.
• The bloc emphasizes the national duty to support displaced Lebanese and recognizes the state’s responsibility to protect them. It calls on political forces to avoid inflammatory rhetoric that could lead to tensions between displaced individuals and local communities.
• Reaffirming its demand for a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel, the bloc calls for the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701, urging a separation of this issue from the ceasefire in Gaza. The bloc emphasizes that managing the Palestinian cause, whether in Gaza, the West Bank, or the Diaspora, remains solely a Palestinian matter, best addressed through national consensus as expressed by Hamas leader Osama Hamdan.
• The bloc calls on the Lebanese Parliament to urgently fulfill its duty by electing a president, restoring state authority, and devising a rescue program to halt ongoing constitutional and legal violations, as well as the deterioration of state institutions and administrative bodies.