Bassil: US, Iran and Hezbollah don't want to expand war

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil has stressed that what matters today is to “neutralize Lebanon” in the war between Israel and Hamas, noting that “Israel is besieged and the U.S., as well as Iran and Hezbollah, do not want to expand the war.”

“Resistance can be not in conflict with the issue of neutrality but rather complementary to it. We want to be in a state of self defense, not attack,” Bassil said in an interview on LBCI television.

“The Shebaa Farms is occupied Lebanese territory and through its operations in it Hezbollah has emphasized Lebanon’s right to regain its land,” Bassil added, noting that Hezbollah is “abiding by the rules of engagement.”

“It is the duty of the Lebanese to prevent Lebanon’s descent into war, but at the same time we do not want to drag it into defeat, and if war is imposed on us we will confront it,” Bassil went on to say.

He also revealed that in his latest phone call with Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, he informed the Hezbollah leader of his concerns and at the same time sensed Nasrallah’s “keenness on Lebanon’s interest.”

As for the issue of gas and oil, Bassil noted that Lebanon lies “in the same geological basin in which gas discoveries have been confirmed.”

“But it is clear that it is forbidden to extract it, seeing as there is a timing for our gas and they are trying to delay us,” Bassil added.

He also called for “benefiting from the war’s results and improving Lebanon’s position in the negotiations over the issue of gas.”