Phalange Party Warns against 'Series of Blasts', Says New Cabinet Could Be Solution

The Phalange Party on Monday condemned last week's deadly explosion in the southern suburbs of Beirut, warning against the country entering into a stage of blasts targeting one region after another.

"We strongly condemn the blast in (the Beirut neighborhood of) Rweiss that killed innocents,” the party said in a released statement after the political bureau's weekly meetings.

It added: “We warn against Lebanon entering a phase in which random bombing target one region after another.”

"We call for safeguarding security in the country and build on the national unity that prevailed after Dahieh's explosion.”

A deadly car explosion killed at least 22 people and wounded 325 others in Beirut's Dahieh neighborhood last week.

The politburo considered that attaining political and security stability in the country could be achieved through “forming a cabinet that is capable of overturning self-security and imposing instead legitimate security.”

"This requires a reevaluation of political stances and speeches and disassociating any links with regional events, which include ending the participation in the Syrian war and abiding by the Baabda Declaration. Is this was applied from the beginning, the repercussions in Lebanon would not have worsened as much.”

The conferees urged providing a political cover for the security forces and strengthening them to “fully do their job of preserving security.”

They elaborated: “We must save Lebanon's prestige and restore the international community's trust in the country as a safe and stable nation.”

The political bureau explained that this could be done through freeing the kidnapped Turkish pilots and assuring that the road that leads to the airport is safe.

"We must neutralize the airport from all events taking place in the country as well as from political considerations,” they remarked.

"We also call for investigating the whereabouts of the Lebanese pilgrims abducted in Syria's Aazaz and work towards releasing them through the diplomatic means,” they added.

A Turkish pilot and co-pilot were kidnapped by gunmen in Beirut earlier in August.

Following the kidnapping, the relatives of Lebanese pilgrims held in Aazaz were quick to deny having any links to the abduction although they have repeatedly accused Turkey of being responsible for the release of their loved ones, warning that they will target Turkish interests in Lebanon in order to pressure Ankara to resolve the case.

In May 2012, eleven Lebanese pilgrims were kidnapped in Syria's Aleppo region as they were making their way back to Lebanon by land from pilgrimage from Iran.

Two of them have since been released, while the rest remain held in Aazaz.