The story of Lebanon’s return to “Bilad al-Sham”?
According to Rai al-Youm, it does not seem that Hezbollah, with its Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem, will give up the weapons of resistance and hand them over. This is not an analysis or comment attributed to Hezbollah that the weapons will be rejected, but rather a warning by Tom Barak, the US special envoy to Syria, in line with its threats against Lebanon.
The media outlet continued: Barak knows very well that Lebanon and its army cannot touch Hezbollah’s weapons as long as Hezbollah has not decided to hand them over. Will the American envoy order domestic or regional parties to damage these weapons?
Rai al-Youm wrote, The American envoy’s comment that if Lebanon does not take action, it will return to the Levant raises serious questions that indicate hidden intentions to deprive Lebanon of its sovereignty and annex its lands to its neighbors. The new Syria is one of the countries to which the project of occupying Lebanon will be entrusted.
According to the report, Tom Barak made a provocative statement: “The Syrians say that Lebanon is our seaside resort, and we must do something. I am aware of the level of frustration of the Lebanese people, and this frustrates me!”
Barak’s statement coincides with an Israeli media report that announced a scenario according to which two-thirds of the Golan Heights would be handed over to Israel and the remaining one-third to Syria, with the possibility of leasing it. According to this scenario, Tripoli, Lebanon, near the Lebanese-Syrian border, and other areas in northern Lebanon, including the Bekaa Valley, would be handed over to Syria.
The media continued: “This Israeli media report reveals the intention of the American envoy to return Lebanon to the Levant (Land of the Levant), and that is through the scenario of annexing Tripoli and other Lebanese cities to the new Syria. This is why we have not witnessed a strong reaction from Lebanese officials to this controversial Israeli media report.”
Rai Al-Youm added, “It is surprising that America’s desire for Syria’s unity and territorial integrity and its non-disintegration is for the sake of the Syrians whom Washington punished and imposed sanctions on before the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. It is questionable that Barak does not consider a federal system suitable for Syria and wants the “SDF” (US-backed militias) to take the path of Damascus.