Raad urges 'real peace' in Lebanon, not 'surrender imposed by enemy'

The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, and reportedly the group's deputy chief, MP Mohammad Raad, has said that his party wants "real peace" in Lebanon and not a "surrender" imposed by Israel, calling on the government to take Hezbollah's stances into consideration.

"Despite the government's actions, the resistance continues to affirm its clear and unequivocal position, calling for the government's mistake to be rectified through a realistic understanding between the government and the resistance, whose legitimate right cannot be usurped as long as Lebanese land remains occupied," said Raad in an op-ed in the pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper.

"Yielding to pressure exerted by the enemy, whether directly or indirectly through influential international and regional actors, will not serve the country's interests, nor will it fulfill the Lebanese people's demands for ending the occupation, restoring sovereignty, and achieving national unity for the sound management of the country's internal affairs," Raad warned

He added that the "claim" that the monopoly on arms was a principle adopted in the Taif Agreement "stems from a flawed understanding of the agreement."

He pointed out that a clause in the Agreement stipulates "liberating occupied Lebanese land from the Israeli enemy," and that this paragraph states "taking all necessary or available means to liberate the land from Israeli occupation."

"The resistance is committed to achieving real peace in Lebanon, not to having the enemy impose surrender under the guise of peace. This is what the government must recognize and strive to achieve through a national consensus that supports it in reaching such an acceptable peace," Raad went on to say.