Qabalan to Sfeir: We Are the Main Shield of Preserving Maronites in Lebanon
Deputy Head of the Higher Islamic Shiite Council Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan commented on the latest stances of Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir regarding Hizbullah and the Lebanese army.
Qabalan on Wednesday addressed Sfeir by saying: "The army and the resistance were born from the womb of the nation, and we do not differentiate between the resistance and the army because the army aims to protect Lebanon and the resistance aims to protect Lebanon, and they are two work teams that complete each other and work to safeguard the country and its people."
"We are in the service of Lebanon and we are the main shield of preserving Maronites in Lebanon. Therefore, fears from the resistance are of non-Lebanese manufacturing, and we, as Lebanese, have to combine our hands together in order to protect the country, especially that our only enemy is Israel," added Qabalan.
The Shiite leader continued by saying: "We want the master of Bkirki to embrace all of the Lebanese and not to be against the resistance, but to preserve it — because the resistance is a brigade of the army”s brigades and it was found to protect Lebanon and it is a shield that protects the country, the resistance defends all of Lebanon."
Qabalan asked opinion leaders to submit their suggestions about "another mean of defending Lebanon other than the resistance and the army", especially that Lebanon "has suffered Israel”s aggressions for more than 60 years without being protected by anyone."
The Shiite religious leader addressed Patriarch Sfeir by saying: "We are Lebanese since the ancient times and have stood in defiance of Israeli aggressions since 1948. We have endured in our land and have not hesitated to defend our country, the resistance was found for that. We love Lebanon honestly and we are among Bkirki”s defenders."
"Our hands will remain stretched for all the Lebanese to defend Lebanon and the resistance is the long arm and the drawn sword to defend Lebanon. The young men of the resistance do not fear Israel because they have put death behind their backs to defend Lebanon," added Qabalan.