Resistance Holds the Initiative With Its Fire power and On the Battlefield, While the Occupation Falters Between Battlefield Failures and Delusions /  Geagea’s Radical Vision: Presidency Without Shiites…A War to Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program and Hezbollah’s Disarmament

 November 08, 2024

The political editor wrote

The U.S.-Russia relationship seems primed for movement under Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump spoke of impending talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expressed readiness for dialogue. Putin, keen to restore relations, mentioned that any ideas to help resolve the Ukraine crisis warrant consideration. Trump remains committed to a settlement in Ukraine that Russia might accept, a stance in line with his Republican party’s previous refusal to approve the budget over funding for the war in Ukraine – a stance that could help Republicans, who now hold a majority in the Senate, to also secure the House majority.

Meanwhile, amidst celebrations over Trump’s victory within the camp of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies on the religious and extreme nationalist right, the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv issued a cautious report urging restraint in optimism. The report predicts Trump will prioritise economic achievements over foreign interventions, as per his election promises, proceeding with economic confrontation with China and applying tariffs and customs duties against imports, particularly imports from China to revive U.S. industries. It also suggested Trump might reopen nuclear negotiations with Iran in search of a fresh agreement with advice directed at the entity’s government against outright opposition as circumstances may not permit another defiant stance similar to the one during Obama’s nuclear deal.

On Lebanon’s southern border, the resistance is firmly asserting control on the ground, countering infiltration attempts near Maroun al-Ras and Yaroun. In ongoing fire exchanges, the resistance demonstrated its missile capabilities by striking deep into the occupying entity’s territory, forcing over four million settlers into shelters multiple times in one day. The resistance’s vow to make Haifa “another Kiryat Shmona” is becoming reality, as even Israeli media report on the devastating effects on front-line settlements. Soldiers stationed in these areas face casualties – both dead and wounded, from the resistance’s precision strikes and drones, underscoring the occupation’s inability to secure these zones.

Domestically, political sources noted the stark detachment in Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea’s recent rhetoric, which seemed divorced from reality. He credited the occupying army with achievements that its own chief of staff would not claim, such as the seizure of 200 square kilometres. Sources questioned the illusions driving Geagea’s proposals, such as targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities to pave the way for a negotiated settlement including disarming Hezbollah. Even more baffling, sources noted, was Geagea’s political call for a presidency without Shiite representation – a plan he implied was somehow feasible within Lebanon’s national charter, without explaining how such a move could succeed without the endorsement of the Shiite Speaker of Parliament?