Lebanese FM Abdallah Bou Habib: Israel's Control Over Sheba'a Farms Justifies Hizbullah's Existence; Getting Rid Of Hizbullah And Its Weapons Would Lead To Civil War

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said in a February 21, 2022 interview on LBC TV (Lebanon) that the Shebaa Farms justify Hizbullah's existence. He said that even though Syria hasn't presented Lebanon with the maps for the Shebaa Farms, he considers the area to be Lebanese land. He continued to say that getting rid of Hizbullah would lead to civil war in Lebanon, and that a process involving international and regional aid for Lebanon would be required before Lebanon could get rid of Hizbullah. For more about Bou Habib, see MEMRI TV Clip no. 9248.

Abdallah Bou Habib: "The Shebaa Farms are the justification for Hizbullah's existence. Israel is not leaving the Shebaa Farms."

Interviewer: "But aren't the Shebaa Farms Syrian?"

Habib: "Syrian? No, we say they are Lebanese."

Interviewer: "Do you have maps from Syria?"

Habib: "Is Israel responsible for the exchange of maps between Syria and us?"

Interviewer: "Don't we need to prove to the international community that this is Lebanese land?

Habib: "No. Syria does not say otherwise. Yet it has not produced the maps... It does not want to. Why should it make things easier for Israel? The Golan Heights are still occupied, aren't they?

Interviewer: "Well, Syria does not make things easier for Lebanon either."

Habib: "Why should it? Everybody takes care of their own interests.

[...]

"Hizbullah has weapons, right? Some Arab countries accuse Hizbullah of interfering in their domestic matters. If they are asking us to ban Hizbullah... That is out of the question for us, because this would lead to a civil war. The Lebanese do not want a civil war."

[...]

Interviewer: "But is this a choice between civil war and implementing international resolutions?"

Habib: "Not at all. It requires a process, it requires a mechanism, a dialogue, a discussion. To those who call on us to finish [Hizbullah], I say: We can't. We cannot do it militarily or diplomatically. We need help. We need help form the UN, and we need help from the region. They should help us. So far, nobody has helped us."