A controversial speech by President Joseph Aoun reverberates across Beirut, sharpening divides between the presidency, Hezbollah, and Speaker Nabih Berri, and raising fears of a broader political confrontation.
Many considered President Joseph Aoun's recent speech exceptional and pivotal, marking a turning point, especially in terms of his determination to advance direct negotiations with Israel under the banner of "I will go wherever necessary to liberate my land and save my people." However, Hezbollah knows it was entirely directed at them, embodying a direct challenge from the presidency to the party, serving as a final declaration saying, "I am committed to confronting you until the end."
This reality did not surprise those monitoring the party’s political behavior and the presidency’s performance. The party had already described continued engagement with the presidency as “hopeless” and had cut off all bridges, both public and behind the scenes, for over a month, since Aoun revealed his decision to pursue direct negotiations with Israel in search of a settlement formula that would permanently remove Lebanon from the conflict cycle—regardless of whether this led to a peace and normalization agreement or any other arrangement.
Since then, the party has launched a media and political campaign against the presidency, driven by a strengthened conviction that there would be no room for reversal this time, and that they remain committed to the mission assigned to them.
Sources linked to the party do not hide that they have completely closed their doors to anyone seeking ways to reconnect. From their perspective,
It is no secret that Aoun’s recent speech has placed Speaker Nabih Berri in an uncomfortable position, prompting him to object to the president’s approach by rejecting direct negotiations, which he argues would undermine the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024. He has instructed movement leaders to launch a media campaign opposing this direction, aligning with Hezbollah supporters who took to the streets last week against the negotiations and raising concerns within the leaders and authority.
Accordingly, Hezbollah confirms that although it had previously declared that the negotiations and their possible outcomes do not concern it at all, and that it is not prepared to respond to any of their premises or results, it has reiterated that “this process will not be allowed to proceed unchallenged,” and it now genuinely fears an imminent “inevitable political confrontation in the coming phase.”
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar.
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