Kataeb Urges 'Unity' after Israeli Raid, Commitment to Dissociation Policy

The Kataeb Party on Monday called for abiding by Lebanon's official “self-dissociation” policy towards regional conflicts, following an unprecedented Israeli raid in Syria that killed six Hizbullah fighters, as it urged the Lebanese parties to preserve the relations with Arab countries.

"The Israeli raid that targeted Hizbullah's post in Syria's Quneitra and killed Lebanese fighters requires our concern over its repercussions on Lebanon,” said Kataeb's political bureau in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.

The party called for “unity among the Lebanese to preserve Lebanon from the repercussions of the Israeli operation and a return to the self-dissociation policy to keep Lebanon away from the dangerous conflicts and their repercussions.”

On Sunday, at least six Hizbullah members and several Iranians including a top general were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an area known as Mazraat al-Amal on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights.

Among the slain Hizbullah members was Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of Imad Mughniyeh, a top Hizbullah operative assassinated in a car bombing in Damascus in 2008.

Once solely focused on fighting Israel, Hizbullah is now deeply involved in the war in neighboring Syria, where it backs President Bashar Assad against the rebels seeking to topple him.

Top Hizbullah official Ibrahim al-Hajj was also killed in July 2014 in Iraq, where government forces and Shiite volunteers are battling the extremist Islamic State group.

The Kataeb politburo also stressed the importance of “Lebanon's brotherly relations with Arab countries, especially the Gulf states and Bahrain, which have always supported Lebanon and embraced thousands of Lebanese who work there.”

"The stances of Hizbullah's secretary general regarding Bahrain or any other Arab country harm Lebanon, and all the Lebanese parties must contribute to put out regional fires,” Kataeb added.

Kataeb also asked for “a national stance that preserves the brotherly relations with the Arab countries.”

On January 9, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah alleged the presence of a “Zionist-like naturalization scheme” in Bahrain. He also criticized the Gulf kingdom over its arrest of opposition leader Ali Salman.

His statement was met by broad Arab dismay, with the Gulf Cooperation Council announcing the remarks contained “an incitement to violence and discord.”

Regarding corruption, Kataeb stressed the importance of “reforming all the institutions and declaring war on corruption that has been widespread since decades.”

The party also condemned “the assault by members of the delegation of the Syrian Bar Association on the delegation of the Beirut and Tripoli bar associations.”

A Lebanese lawyers delegation was assaulted Sunday by members of the Syrian delegation as Lebanon's representative was delivering a speech on terrorism at the Conference of Arab Lawyers in Cairo.

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Y.R.