Hizbullah, PSP Say Avoiding 'Any Security Setback' is 'Common Concern'

A Progressive Socialist Party delegation held talks Tuesday in Dahiyeh with Hizbullah secretary-general’s political aide Hussein al-Khalil and Hizbullah coordination and liaison chief Wafiq Safa.

“The meeting was characterized by a spirit of understanding and frankness and it was particularly important because of the circumstances that the country has witnessed,” ex-minister Ghazi Aridi of the PSP said after the talks.

“It is part of the continuous coordination and we are convinced of the necessity to always resort to the state and its institutions and judiciary because we are keen on Lebanon’s stability,” Aridi added.

Khalil for his part said “the common concern with the PSP is to spare Lebanon any security setback.”

He also reiterated Hizbullah’s stance that “what happened in Jahliyeh was a reckless act that could have dragged Lebanon into a disaster.”

“Whoever sees the scenes from Jahliyeh would know that the operation was not for notification as it rather reflected an intention to kill or arrest,” Khalil added, referring to Saturday’s Internal Security Forces raid in ex-minister Wiam Wahhab’s hometown.

Wahhab’s bodyguard Mohammed Bou Diab died of his wounds after gunfire erupted with the arrival of the force to Wahhab’s house.

The ex-minister has argued that Bou Diab was killed by a gunshot fired by security forces but the ISF has disputed his claim, stressing that the man was hit by a gunshot fired by Wahhab’s supporters and that its force did not fire any arms during the incident.

Wahhab had been summoned by the ISF’s Intelligence Branch in connection with a lawsuit filed against him by a number of lawyers for insults he launched against Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri.

The Chouf region has always witnessed tensions with the PSP after Wahhab’s supporters roamed its streets in armed convoys in a show of force.