The United States, France, and the European Union have failed in their efforts to pressure the Lebanese leaders who currently control the two pillars of the state—namely Nabih Berri, Walid Jumblatt, and Najib Mikati—to restore the rule of law in Lebanon, rid the country of Hezbollah (which appointed them), and call on the regular army to establish security zones, under the protection of the United Nations, in Beirut and other areas already threatened and now serving as a refuge for displaced civilians.
Their complicit silence, coupled with their personal interests in this financial Ponzi scheme, allows Hezbollah and Iran to control all official and unofficial decisions in Lebanon. These three leaders endorse and facilitate corruption, acting as willing accomplices in the destruction ravaging civilian areas due to the war initiated first by Hezbollah and then by Israeli armed forces, in their bid to permanently secure their northern border.
Their responsibility, along with that of Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, who is already under U.S. sanctions, manifests on multiple levels: first, their refusal to fulfill their executive and constitutional oversight roles, while the doors of parliament remain closed by Speaker Nabih Berri, preventing the election of a president for two years. Though Jumblatt is no longer officially leading his “Progressive Socialist Party” (PSP), having passed control to his son Teymour, he remains the most influential Druze figure and a key actor in giving the appearance of a national refusal to act. He has taken no steps to contain, prevent, or reduce the human and material destruction inflicted on certain regions of the country. This criminal complicity with a terrorist organization amounts to treason, serving Iran’s dictates and against the supreme interests of the Lebanese nation. Criminal negligence, conflicts of interest, and unpatriotic behavior are compounded by serious corruption cases, all with total impunity.
However, the empty calls, declarations, and futile hopes expressed by the American and French governments are destined to fail. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but these will not save the country from its latest tragedy nor prevent Iran from persisting until the last drop of Lebanese blood, continuing its suicidal crusade in the name of Gaza. This crusade has not only caused significant losses on the battlefield but also devastated thousands of innocent families.
These three figures, who have come together to stage a public farce aimed at deceiving the international community about a supposed return to UN Security Council resolutions that they themselves deliberately ignored, do not respond to arguments appealing to their sense of patriotism (if it exists), nor to the need to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty, nor to ensuring the individual dignity of citizens, nor to the popular cries of despair! These individuals only respond to the threat of material confiscation or the freezing of ill-gotten assets. These assets are estimated to be between $5 and $10 billion, spread across the United States, Europe, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom. They are held in various asset classes, in bank accounts, gold bars, publicly traded stocks, bonds, diamonds, and real estate. These holdings are either directly in their names, or in trust funds or under the names of charities or members of their entourage. Market authorities in the U.S., the U.K., and France are well aware!
If the Biden administration were serious and if Emmanuel Macron were even remotely sincere in his desire to help Lebanon regain peace, prosecutors in these two countries would be immediately seized to initiate the full freezing of assets in a final effort to achieve a ceasefire and the urgent deployment of the Lebanese army across the national territory, followed by the election of a sovereignist president.
Demande de gel d’avoirs de Nabih Berri, Walid Joumblat, Najib Mikati