Jumblat: Only Authority of the State Can Ease Insecurities of Political Powers

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat stressed on Monday the need for all sides to adhere to the state, saying that the dangerous regional developments require the Lebanese to unite to avert the repercussions of these conflicts.

He said in his weekly editorial in the PSP-affiliated al-Anbaa website: “The Lebanese factions must shy away from recklessness and return to the state, which alone can ease their insecurities.”

“There can be no substitute to the state, which the people can resort to away from provocative rhetoric that will only bring about strife and suffering on all levels,” he added.

“The regional developments, especially those linked to the Syrian crisis, require the Lebanese to exercise patience and diligence to resist the repercussions of the conflict on the internal Lebanese scene,” continued the MP.

Jumblat therefore placed his trust in the state's judicial and security institutions that “should be the only means to tackle any security unrest, such the firing of rockets of Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday.”

“Protecting the concept of the state, in action and not just in words, starting with the army, requires the cooperation of all political powers,” he stressed.

Indirectly addressing Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's speech on Saturday, Jumblat said: “The Lebanese people have the right to take a break from fiery speeches that only serve to pour fuel on the fires that are raging in the region and which will cost the country dearly.”

“One must therefore take a conscientious stand in order to prevent Lebanon from once again falling victim to regional conflicts,” he demanded.

Four people were wounded on Sunday morning in a rocket attack on Beirut's southern suburbs. The Lebanese army said in a statement that a rocket was fired at a car dealership near the Mar Mikhael church and another landed in the Maroun Misk neighborhood.

The incident came just hours after Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah vowed "victory" in Syria, where Hizbullah fighters are engaged in fierce battles against Syrian rebels in Qusayr.

He said Hizbullah would always stand by its ally, President Bashar Assad, and his regime, stressing that its own interests were at stake.

On Sunday, a source close to Hizbullah said the group's toll in several months of fighting was 110, most of them killed in Qusayr.