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Former Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil said in a May 8, 2024 interview that aired on Russia Today TV that none of the Arab countries wishes for Hamas to win the war. He would not achieve any of its objectives by participating in this "half-war" and attacking Israel. In addition, Bassil said that Hizbullah did not decide to enter the war, nor would it decide when the war ends, because that decision will be left to Israel and Hamas.
Gebran Bassil: "To be honest, none of the Arab countries wants Hamas to win the war, but they cannot afford to lose Palestine and the Palestinian people this way."
[...]
Interviewer: "Practically speaking what is happening in south Lebanon is a war."
Bassil: "It's half a war. We are in the middle of a half-war. Hizbullah believes that it is achieving something with this war, with its support of Gaza. We do not agree with this action. We believe that we would not return to the situation prior to October 7. We will return to the equation of 2006. Therefore, I do not believe that this war will lead Lebanon to regain the Shebaa Farms, to achieve guarantees regarding oil and gas, to have the Palestinian refugees return to their land, or to have displaced Syrians return to their land. No Lebanese rights will be restored by means of this war. Demarcation of the land border is not a real achievement. It could have been achieved by diplomatic means at any time, without resorting to war.
[...]
"We support defending Lebanon, but we do not support attacking Israel, because we do not believe it is beneficial when Lebanon carries the burden all by itself. There are other fronts. The Iraqi front is no longer active, right? Right from the start, President Al-Assad refrained from getting Syria involved in the war. Egypt and Jordan have not entered the war. Why would Lebanon want to enter the war, even if it just half a war?
"Lebanon should enter a war when it is attacked, or when we can achieve something – like the achievement we had on our southern border. But to enter a war where Lebanon does not make the decisions... Hizbullah did not decide when to start the war and it will not decide when to end it. When to end the war will not be decided by Hamas and Israel, and they are negotiating a ceasefire. Lebanon is waiting, but it is not just watching from the sidelines. Every day, there are Lebanese martyrs, ruin, and destruction. Lebanon is waiting for Israel and Hamas to reach agreements, via the Qatari and Egyptian mediators and the direct American involvement. We do not support this."
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