Christian party in Lebanon says alliance with Hezbollah over: What to know
Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, one of Lebanon’s largest Christian political parties, said an agreement between his party and the Iran-backed Hezbollah is no longer viable, as the group continues to fight other countries’ battles on Lebanese soil while Lebanese authorities press ahead with their disarmament plan.
BEIRUT — Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, one of Lebanon’s largest Christian political parties, said on Tuesday that a memorandum of understanding signed between his party and Hezbollah has “collapsed,” voicing criticism of the group over its ties with Iran in a significant political shift likely to increase pressure on Hezbollah.
What happened: Writing on his X account on Tuesday, Bassil said that “the foundation of the memorandum of understanding was to integrate the party’s choices and weapons into the Lebanese framework through partnership, state-building and the defense of Lebanon.”
The memorandum, known as the Mar Mikhael Agreement, was signed in February 2006 between then-FPM leader and former President Michel Aoun and late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. The agreement, which included a set of common goals on state-building and other issues, also established that Hezbollah’s weapons were necessary as a form of resistance to defend Lebanon’s sovereignty.
“The understanding collapsed when these foundations crumbled,” Bassil said.
