Transcript [00:00] Hey everybody. So with the tensions [00:03] rising on the Iran front and you could [00:05] check out the other video that I made [00:07] earlier today about how um everyone's [00:11] expecting an escalation or there are [00:13] signs of escalation. Pete Exith visiting [00:15] Israel, Assam Munir, the Pakistani u [00:19] army chief visiting Thran today. There's [00:22] a lot of uh saber rattling going on and [00:24] with the threats of escalation, Lebanon [00:27] is some is a place that we need to keep [00:29] our eye on. The usual chaos there [00:33] continues. But I want to dive in a [00:35] little bit deeper into what's going on [00:37] in Lebanon so that we can just have our [00:39] finger on the pulse as these days and [00:42] weeks ahead of us progress and we and we [00:44] have our eye on Iran. We also know the [00:47] role that Lebanon can play in this [00:50] situation. Okay, let's uh let's hit the [00:52] headlines. Here we go. Report: US warns [00:54] Lebanon against joining conflict with [00:57] Iran. Threatens harsh Israeli response. [01:00] Notice this. This was a warning from the [01:01] United States about an Israeli response. [01:04] Um Lebanon has received warnings from [01:07] the United States and other Western and [01:08] Arab officials against becoming involved [01:11] in any potential conflict between Israel [01:13] and Iran. Now, obviously when they say [01:14] Lebanon here, they mean. We'll get to [01:16] that more in a bit. A senior Lebanese [01:19] government official told thebollah [01:21] affiliated newspaper Alahbar, "The [01:23] warning stated that entry into the war [01:26] would trigger a quote broad and severe [01:29] Israeli response with all restrictions [01:33] removed." [01:34] Like really pointing at them and saying, [01:36] "Look out guys, do not get involved in [01:38] this. Do not let get better not get [01:41] involved." And the but the warning was [01:42] issued to Lebanon. And similarly, Israel [01:46] threatens to seize more territory in [01:48] southern Lebanon if joins Iran war. And [01:51] this is this is from Arab news, a Saudi [01:53] aligned outlet. So keep that in mind. [01:56] And look what it writes. Israeli Defense [01:58] Minister Israel Katz has threatened to [02:00] seize additional territory in southern [02:01] Lebanon and expand Israel's permanent [02:04] security zone if joins Iran in attacking [02:07] Israel. The Times of Israel reported on [02:09] Wednesday, quote, "Ifbalah joins Iran in [02:12] an attack on Israel, it will be dealt a [02:14] heavy blow and lose additional territory [02:16] in southern Lebanon in the areas of [02:18] Nabatia and the Latani, which will [02:20] become part of Israel's permanent [02:22] security zone." KZ said during a visit [02:24] to the Israeli military's buffer zone in [02:27] southern Lebanon. According to the [02:28] report, Katz said the military was [02:30] prepared to launch a ground offensive, [02:32] adding that Beirut's southern suburbs, [02:34] known as Dakia and and aisba stronghold [02:39] would be evacuated and its [02:41] infrastructure targeted. [02:44] More than a million Shiites will become [02:46] displaced in Lebanon, he said. I mean, [02:47] he was basically warning of the Gaza [02:49] model uh against the stronghold in [02:52] Beirut should [02:54] get involved in a war against Israel [02:57] joining Iran uh should there be an [02:59] escalation. So, this is another [03:00] indication also of an escalation on the [03:02] way that they're kind of, you know, [03:04] pointing at at warning them. And of [03:08] course, uh the Lebanese are none too [03:10] pleased about this. But, you know, we [03:13] have to talk about this for a second. [03:14] this whole issue of [03:17] umah and Lebanon and just I'm I'm [03:20] telling you things you already know but [03:22] you need to have this in your back [03:23] pocket when you're talking to people [03:24] about this situation. [03:28] the there is this plausible deniability [03:32] that these states that house terrorist [03:34] organizations have because ifah is [03:37] attacking Israel then Lebanon can always [03:40] say you know we're we want you know we [03:42] don't want this we're opposed toah we're [03:44] not attacking Israel it's a and it's a [03:46] and it's an injustice that Israel seizes [03:48] our territory but they allow to operate [03:51] from their territory and from Israel's [03:52] perspective I think that Israel's [03:54] messaging should always be to Lebanon [03:56] and not even tobala. They shouldn't even [03:58] mention by name because so because from [04:02] Israel's perspective, we're getting [04:04] attacked from your territory. Okay? It [04:06] is your responsibility to reign in this [04:09] group and if they're attacking us, as [04:11] far as we're concerned, we have an [04:13] attack from your territory. Now, the [04:14] Lebanese government could claim that [04:16] they haven't sanctioned these attacks, [04:18] but they kind of have sanctioned these [04:21] attacks. And I'm going to explain that [04:22] in a little bit. Just after the next [04:23] couple news items, we're going to go [04:25] into why the Lebanese government is far [04:27] more responsible for than even people [04:31] realize. Meaning, [04:33] well, I I'll explain it in a minute. [04:34] Okay, let's let's get back to the news [04:36] items here. Says it owned confiscated [04:39] explosives meant to attack Israel. So, a [04:41] few days ago, last week, there was this [04:43] huge confiscation of explosives of [04:46] explosives in Lebanon. And you know, [04:49] you'd expect that would deny, but they [04:52] didn't deny. They they admitted it was [04:54] theirs and they they actually demanded [04:55] it back. Azizbala lawmaker said on [04:58] Thursday that hundreds of kilograms I [05:00] think it was over 700 kilos of [05:02] explosives seized last week by Lebanese [05:05] security forces belonged to his group. [05:08] This is a this is a member of parliament [05:10] in Lebanon who's frombalah. They'll [05:12] quote him in a moment. [05:15] So he's saying that these explosives [05:16] belong to as tensions persist over the [05:19] government's push to disarm the Iranback [05:21] movement. Lebanese authorities stopped [05:23] the explosive Latin vehicle at a [05:26] checkpoint in the eastern Becca region [05:28] last week and arrested two people in the [05:31] car. [05:34] Speaking to reporters at the Lebanese [05:35] parliament on Thursday, lawmaker Hassan [05:37] Fadlala said intended to use the [05:40] explosives against Israel [05:43] whose troops are occupying swads of [05:45] Lebanese territory seized in the year's [05:46] war. Let let me just make sure you get [05:49] this. This is aah lawmaker. He's not [05:52] saying they were intending to use them [05:53] against Israel uh as an accusation. This [05:57] isn't a Christian guy or someone who's [05:59] anti-Isbah. This is abah guy saying, [06:01] "Hey, these are ours. Give them back. we [06:03] were going to use them against Israel. [06:05] The government decision was an attempt [06:06] to reverse the relative freedom had [06:09] enjoyed for years in transporting [06:12] military equipment across Lebanon. The [06:15] group's main arms supply route through [06:17] Syria was severed when its ally, then [06:19] President Bashar al-Assad, was ousted in [06:21] late 2024. The new Syrian authorities [06:24] have regularly announced seizures of [06:26] weapons along their border with Lebanon [06:28] that they say are intended forbala. [06:32] Throughout 2025, Lebanese troops seized [06:34] and destroyed weapons depots in southern [06:36] in southern Lebanon in line with the [06:38] government's plan to exert state control [06:40] over all weapons. But that road map was [06:42] put on pause when the new war erupted. [06:45] Okay, so you see what's going on here. [06:48] uh they they seized this weapon [06:50] shipment. And the the key line here that [06:53] I want to focus in on in a moment is the [06:55] government decision was an attempt to [06:57] reverse the the relative freedom that [07:00] had enjoyed for years in transporting [07:03] military equipment. Now, meanwhile, [07:05] Rubio urged Lebanon to resist pressure [07:08] to give, you know, to give the weapons [07:10] back to. But this all goes back to the [07:12] Taif agreement. And this is what I meant [07:14] when I said that that the Lebanese [07:16] government is far more responsible for [07:20] bad behavior than people even realize. [07:24] Let me explain. The Taif agreement is a [07:27] 1989 [07:28] treaty [07:30] that ended the Lebanese civil war. Okay, [07:33] the Lebanese civil war. Well, Leb [07:36] Lebanon's always been in a state of [07:37] civil war, but kind of officially, the [07:39] Lebanese civil war went from 1975 to [07:42] around 1990. And at the tail end of [07:44] that, 1989, there was this agreement [07:46] that that that uh somewhat restructured [07:50] the way Lebanon is governed. Didn't make [07:53] it much better, but it was an agreement [07:55] by all the different factions, all the [07:57] different factions fighting. There were [07:58] a lot of different militias running [07:59] around there throughout that long civil [08:02] war. And it was basic this was the [08:05] agreement to end the civil war. Okay, it [08:07] was officially known as the national [08:08] reconciliation accord to provide the [08:11] basis for ending the civil war and [08:12] returning to political normaly. Now one [08:14] of the uh issues in the agreement was [08:18] that everyone had to give up their [08:20] weapons. All the different militias had [08:22] to give up their weapons and only the [08:24] Lebanese army, only the Lebanese [08:25] government would be allowed to hold [08:27] weapons. But look what the agreement [08:29] said. [08:30] The agreement also provided for the [08:32] disarmament of all national and [08:34] non-national militias. [08:37] Balah was allowed to stay armed in its [08:41] capacity as a resistance force rather [08:44] than a militia fighting Israel in the [08:47] south. [08:50] A privilege obtained according to [08:52] Swedish academic Magnus Ronto [08:55] in part by using leverage as a holder of [08:57] a number of western hostages. So they [08:59] whatever the reason was, [09:02] let me make this very clear and anyone [09:04] who if you are in the in the Israel [09:08] advocacy space or you find yourself [09:10] having conversations with people where [09:11] you're defending Israel, you must know [09:13] this detail of the of the whole story in [09:15] the Middle East. This is a very [09:16] important detail. [09:20] This this agreement in Lebanon between [09:22] all the different Lebanese factions to [09:25] end the Lebanese civil war [09:27] explicitly [09:29] allowed [09:31] to not disarm. It allowed to hold on to [09:34] weapons and to continue to operate as a [09:36] separate militia separate from the [09:37] Lebanese army because they're attacking [09:41] Israel because the use of their weapons [09:44] is to attack Israel. Now when you go [09:47] back to that statement made by that [09:49] lawmaker in defense [09:53] ofah when in his in in him when he stood [09:57] up and said we want the explosives back [10:00] last week when he stands up and says [10:02] give us back our 780 kilos of explosives [10:07] he said [10:09] that had intended to use the explosives [10:12] against Israel. In other words, he was [10:13] actually referencing the Taif agreement [10:16] and saying, "Hey, you can't take these [10:18] explosives away from us. We're allowed [10:20] to have them because we're we're allowed [10:23] to use them to attack Israel." That's an [10:25] agreement made that we all signed and [10:27] agreed upon. And the Tif agreement has [10:29] never been repealed. They all talk about [10:31] it all the time as still as the basis [10:33] for their coexistence internally in [10:35] Lebanon. Which means, here's the key [10:38] talking point, folks. We all have to [10:40] know this. The Lebanese government [10:43] explicitly [10:46] made an allowance forbalah to have [10:49] weapons to attack Israel. Therefore, [10:52] they are fully responsible. Right? Like [10:54] if the Mexican government officially [10:56] said, "We're totally fine with the [10:58] cartels having weapons because we're [11:01] happy with the fact that they are [11:02] attacking America or harming America or [11:04] harming American citizens and that's [11:06] what we want them to do with those [11:07] weapons. They're not the Mexican army, [11:10] but we're cool with them having weapons. [11:11] Then, of course, the Mexican government [11:13] is responsible for what the cartels do, [11:15] whatever. Or or choose your example. You [11:17] don't need a better example. It's the [11:18] same thing. [11:20] So, quite literally, the Lebanese [11:22] government gave permission. Now, the [11:23] Lebanese government now says that [11:25] they're the only that no one else can be [11:26] armed and they have to disarm. But why [11:29] don't they get up and say, I'm waiting [11:31] for them to stand up and say, [11:34] "We are repealing the Taif agreement." [11:36] Because has a real leg to stand on. They [11:39] say all the time, "What are you talking [11:40] about? We have every legal right to have [11:42] these weapons." You hear Naim Kasam, the [11:43] head of say this all the time that we [11:45] have a legal right to have these [11:46] weapons. And people scratch their heads [11:48] or they just think it's bluster. He's [11:50] he's he's actually he's right in terms [11:53] of the agreements they signed. But for [11:55] Israel's side, the real takeaway for us, [11:58] for the pro-Israel community, is we [12:01] should stop pointing the finger at [12:02] Kisbala and pretending that the Lebanese [12:05] government is on our side. We should say [12:06] to the Lebanese government, look, [12:08] however we got here and how however much [12:11] you might regret [12:13] giving permission to [12:15] keep their weapons because they're [12:17] attacking Israel, you are responsible [12:19] for that decision. And therefore any [12:21] attack bybalah is your fault and is your [12:24] responsibility and we're going to hold [12:25] you responsible. And therefore if [12:27] there's an attack from Lebanese [12:28] territory byah, [12:30] Israel is in its rights to seize [12:32] territory to defend itself. [12:35] It's as simple as that to do whatever it [12:37] takes to defend itself. So that's this [12:39] is a key point. Meanwhile, the French [12:42] foreign minister was in Lebanon a few [12:44] days ago and he warned uh about a [12:46] postunifil security vacuum in South [12:49] Lebanon that must be avoided. You see, [12:50] UNIFIL, the United Nations um interim [12:55] force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which is which [12:58] is the, you know, the blue helmet guys, [13:00] the peacekeeping force in Lebanon. [13:04] Uh its mandate is expiring at the end of [13:06] the year. the United States was the main [13:08] funer of it and back in 2025 the Trump [13:11] administration declared that they're [13:13] they're cutting off the funding and the [13:16] UNIFIL mandate runs out at the end of [13:18] 2026. [13:20] um it's not being renewed [13:23] and [13:24] the Lebanese government is kind of in a [13:27] panic about this because they don't want [13:29] to actually they don't really have the [13:30] ability to take real responsibility for [13:33] security [13:34] and [13:36] they they desperately want this UN force [13:39] there but Israel does not want them [13:40] there because UNIFIL's main role in [13:43] practice over the over the decades that [13:45] it's been there has been to shieldbalah [13:49] from accountability [13:50] Andbalah has built up its its military, [13:53] its whole military infrastructure, the [13:56] terrorist infrastructure that built in [13:57] South Lebanon was all built under the [13:59] noses of the of UNIFIL [14:03] right there under under their nose. And [14:06] and and UNIFIL has obstructed Israeli [14:08] operations there to try to root out. [14:11] Even though they're supposed to be [14:12] preventing military buildup and a [14:14] peacekeeping force, they're it's kind of [14:16] they're not quite as bad as UNRA in uh [14:19] in Gaza and in Judea and Samaria, [14:21] they're not quite as bad as UNRA, [14:22] meaning they're not running schools and [14:24] and all that and and uh and really part [14:27] of the terrorist indoctrination the way [14:29] UNRA is. UNRA is far worse. But UNIFIL [14:31] functionally is the same thing. Uh [14:34] UNIFIL and UNRA, it's that it's this UN [14:36] force that really serves the purposes of [14:38] the terrorists. So, Israel was like, "No [14:40] more UNIFIL. The United States cut off [14:42] the funding for it. It's ending." And [14:46] and the uh and now everyone's in a panic [14:49] about this. France's foreign minister [14:50] has underlined the need for a new [14:52] international framework to support [14:54] Lebanese security forces after the [14:56] mandate of UN peacekeeping mission in [14:57] South Lebanon expires at the end of the [14:59] year. Jean Noel Barau, who was [15:01] accompanied on a weekend visit to Beirut [15:03] by Alice Rufo, the French armed forces [15:06] minister, said a security vacuum must [15:08] not develop when UNIFIL ends its mission [15:10] after nearly five decades. Now, why [15:11] would there be a security vacuum? Why [15:13] can't the Lebanese army just go in? Oh, [15:15] because the Lebanese army doesn't want [15:17] to go in or can't go in. If they go in, [15:20] they're going to be coming, they're [15:21] going to be butddting heads withaha, and [15:22] that's their buddies. And they don't [15:24] want to do that. They don't want a civil [15:26] war. So there's going to be a security [15:28] vacuum, which just shows you how [15:30] impotent the Lebanese army is. Post [15:33] Ununifil international presence and [15:35] support is still to be defined. But [15:37] French diplomatic sources said ahead of [15:39] the visit that any security vacuum in [15:41] South Lebanon would be extremely [15:43] dangerous. Um Aun, President Aun would [15:46] prefer to extend UNIFIL's uh mandate, [15:49] but if that were not possible, Beirut [15:51] would welcome any formula that ensures [15:54] an international presence in the south. [15:56] They want an international presence [15:57] there because that will restrict [15:59] Israel's uh freedom of activity [16:02] and it will also shield the Lebanese [16:04] government from responsibility for [16:06] actually dealing with the disarming of [16:09] because they can say well there's this [16:10] international force there. Now I had a [16:12] longer conversation about UNIFIL and [16:14] this whole issue with Dr. David Worms on [16:17] the Israel 365 news channel uh this week [16:20] a couple days ago. So, if you go to that [16:21] channel and check out our most recent [16:23] conversation, I think it was released uh [16:25] on Sunday. [16:27] The US and Israel pressured the UN to [16:29] end UNIFIL's mandate. Um the French [16:32] ministers stressed the need to support [16:33] the underfunded and underequipped [16:35] Lebanese armed forces as it continues [16:38] with the uphill task of bringing all [16:40] weapons under state control. This would [16:42] mean disarming, which the Iranbacked [16:45] Lebanese armed group and political party [16:47] has so far resisted. That is an [16:49] understatement. [16:50] Um, [16:52] and the EU, [16:55] this is from uh about a little more than [16:57] a week ago, the EU launched a support [16:59] mission for the Lebanese army. So, this [17:01] is their new way to kind of recreate a a [17:04] UNIFIL light. European foreign ministers [17:06] meeting in Luxembourg on Monday agreed [17:08] to establish a support mission to the [17:11] Lebanese army with an initial mandate of [17:13] three years. What's a support mission? [17:15] Well, it will work to strengthen the [17:17] capacity of the Lebanese army and [17:19] internal security forces as well as to [17:21] support maritime security. It's a [17:24] training mission as part of a European [17:26] effort to retain an international [17:28] presence in Lebanon after UNIFIL leaves. [17:32] Support for the army will include land [17:35] border surveillance and control, [17:36] intelligence surveillance and [17:37] reconnaissance, counter smuggling and [17:40] operational coordination. [17:42] All right. uh then and they will be [17:43] trained in areas such as combating cyber [17:45] crime and smuggling. Okay, so this is [17:47] the new attempt to this is an attempt. [17:50] Look, this what they're talking about [17:52] here is better than UNIFIL. If there's [17:53] no troops on the ground, peacekeeping [17:56] troops, providing uh uh you know, a [17:59] cover forbala and and restricting [18:01] Israeli operations, then I'm not opposed [18:04] to it. [18:06] But that's [18:08] but that's what they're working on now. [18:09] So the mission does not directly address [18:11] the core security concern for Lebanon as [18:14] its international partners [18:16] u maintaining an international presence [18:19] in the south to support the Lebanese [18:20] state prevent's military resurgence and [18:24] deter further Israeli intervention [18:25] meaning it doesn't actually do what [18:28] everything that UNIFIL did. It doesn't [18:30] prevent the Israelis of having freedom [18:31] of operation. Good. The initiative [18:34] nevertheless gives the EU more entry [18:36] points. it should use its channels and [18:38] leverage to press Israel and to abide by [18:40] the ceasefire. [18:42] Um anyway, that's so that's uh that [18:45] that's what the Europeans are busy with [18:47] here. Now, before we go on, [18:49] um just want to uh remind you important [18:52] event we're having on Sunday. You don't [18:53] want to miss this. This is a webinar [18:55] 2:00 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, 8:00 [18:58] p.m. in Israel. That's right. It'll be a [18:59] six-hour time difference because Israel [19:00] will have changed its clocks, but you [19:02] can also watch it on your own if you [19:04] register. Uh this is a a webinar about [19:07] the upcoming elections. Two elections, [19:09] two nations, one critical moment. How [19:11] the Israeli and American elections could [19:12] reshape the Middle East. And we have Dr. [19:14] Gadi Ta uh lecturer at Hebrew University [19:17] public intellectual par excalance here [19:19] in Israel. Mark Zel, chairman of the GOP [19:21] in Israel. Jonathan Shanzer, executive [19:23] director of the Foundation for Defense [19:25] of Democracies. He's awesome. Will [19:27] Chamberlain who is a very important [19:30] young political commentator in America [19:31] these days. He's with the Article 3 [19:33] Project. And Dr. AJ Noli, professor at [19:37] the Regent University Graduate School of [19:40] Government. Uh, and they're all going to [19:43] be joining us to talk about the impact [19:44] of these upcoming elections, the Israeli [19:46] and American elections. That's this [19:48] coming Sunday, 2:00 p.m. Eastern time, [19:50] 8:00 p.m. in Israel, or whenever you [19:52] want to watch it. But you have to [19:54] register. If you register, whether you [19:55] attend or not, you will automatically [19:58] receive an email right after the webinar [20:00] airs live. and uh and that email will [20:03] have a link where you can watch the full [20:05] webinar on your own time. So, make sure [20:08] that you're registered because you only [20:09] get that email if you're registered. Uh [20:11] you can register at the at clicking the [20:13] link in the description of this video or [20:16] you can go uh you can scan this QR code [20:18] and just make sure that you're that [20:20] you're there. You don't want to miss [20:21] this one. Okay. [20:24] Uh let's uh let's get back to to the [20:27] headlines from Lebanon. [20:29] Lebanon tunnel found near Beirut sparks [20:32] freshbell attention. So this is a story [20:34] from yesterday. There was a tunnel found [20:36] near Beirut. Um there is I'll just be [20:39] very frank. There's no evidence that [20:41] this tunnel is linked to in any way. But [20:43] the reason it was a story is because [20:45] everyone is on high alert and everyone [20:47] is all stressed out about this. The [20:49] discovery quickly prompted accusations [20:51] against which maintains influence in [20:54] parts of the surrounding [20:56] uh the surrounding area. However, no [20:58] evidence establishing's involvement in [21:00] the tunnel's construction has been [21:02] announced. But there's been a lot of of [21:03] tension lately, especially in the wake [21:06] of that that massive seizure of of [21:11] explosives, which is a big headline. And [21:14] there's also been some other unrest, [21:16] some protests, and and uh the the [21:19] tension between the government and the [21:21] government of Lebanon is rising. And [21:23] therefore this the finding of this [21:25] tunnel sparked you could call it [21:26] paranoia or you could just call it an [21:28] excuse to blame or a suspicion but [21:31] that's also happening. [21:33] Fear of internal escalation in Lebanon. [21:36] Fears of renewed internal tensions are [21:38] growing in Lebanon asbala steps up its [21:41] confrontational rhetoric toward the [21:43] authorities and its supporters to and [21:46] and its supporters take to the streets [21:48] of Beirut and its southern suburbs. So [21:51] there's there's now uh increased street [21:54] activity ofaha challenging the [21:56] government. So we're going to have [21:58] increased unrest in Lebanon over these [22:01] issues. They described the Iranbacks [22:03] group's increasingly defiant statements, [22:06] particularly over seized explosive [22:08] shipment last week and a reaction to the [22:10] authorities actions rather than a reason [22:13] to reconsider them. President Joseph Aun [22:16] is due to chair a meeting of security [22:17] chiefs at the presidential palace on [22:19] Monday afternoon. I guess that's [22:20] yesterday to review recent developments [22:22] including the explosive shipment. The [22:25] government's determination to retain [22:27] exclusive control over weapons was [22:29] echoed by foreign minister Ysef Ragi [22:31] during the 52nd meeting of foreign [22:33] ministers of the or organization of [22:35] Islamic Cooperation in Iraq. The [22:38] Lebanese army has deployed heavily in [22:40] Beirut for several days. [22:43] And look what happened here. They're [22:44] going to describe a very interesting [22:45] incident, particularly around the [22:47] southern suburbs and their entrances [22:49] amid concerns the supporters could stage [22:51] further demonstrations. The deployments [22:54] coincide with ongoing investigations [22:56] into the explosives seized at Darlar, [22:59] that's the explosive shipment we talked [23:01] about, and a warehouse containing [23:03] expired uh medicines, pharmaceuticals. [23:06] On Friday evening, young men on [23:08] motorcycles attempted to obstruct the [23:11] Internal Security Forces patrol during a [23:13] raid on the warehouse near the entrance [23:16] to the southern suburbs. The army [23:18] intervened, allowing the patrol to seize [23:21] to seal the premises. Although denied [23:25] any connection to the warehouse, reports [23:27] alleged that that a son of Naim Kasim, [23:30] the head of Kizbala, was a partner in [23:32] the business. Balah nevertheless [23:34] protested the raid even though there's [23:36] no official they don't claim any [23:38] official linkbella protested the raid on [23:42] the warehouse insisting that operations [23:44] in sensitive areas follow previously [23:47] agreed coordination procedures this is a [23:50] very important sentence an apparent [23:52] reference to arrangements that existed [23:53] before the government's recent decisions [23:55] concerning its weapons in other words is [23:57] saying hey we've had an agreement to [24:01] coordinate between us and the Lebanon [24:03] authorities and now you're just taking [24:05] action against us. In other words, is [24:08] saying you're changing the rules of the [24:09] game. Ever since the Taif agreement, [24:11] we've been allowed to act freely and do [24:13] our own thing and we've kind of [24:14] coordinated and cooperated and the [24:16] Lebanese government has has it's more [24:19] than turned a blind eye. They've [24:20] actually coordinated with us and now [24:23] you're taking unilateral action against [24:25] us, which is true, but that's what [24:26] they're complaining about. The [24:28] confrontation followed another dispute [24:29] over a truck carrying around 780 kilos [24:32] of explosives seized by authorities at [24:35] the Darlar checkpoint. Acknowledged [24:38] ownership of the truck and its cargo [24:40] demanding their return and the release [24:41] of those detained. [24:44] Um, now just to review [24:48] finally to end out to close out this [24:51] video, I just want to review a couple of [24:54] uh clauses in the signed agreement [24:57] between Israel and Lebanon was called [24:59] the trilateral framework because the [25:00] United States, Israel and Lebanon signed [25:02] it back in June. And just to understand [25:05] what all these every time you see in the [25:07] media people saying Israel's got to [25:08] Israel needs to withdraw. Israel is [25:10] occupying part of Lebanon. The Lebanese [25:13] government agreed to it. Okay, look what [25:15] it says in here. Let's just review. The [25:17] government of Israel and the government [25:18] of Lebanon commit to a reciprocal [25:20] sequence process with clear conditions [25:23] whereby the Lebanese armed forces will [25:25] restore effective sovereign authority [25:28] over all Lebanese territory pending the [25:30] verified disarmament of non-state armed [25:32] groups and dismantlement of associated [25:34] infrastructure, enabling the IDF to [25:37] progressively redeploy out of Lebanese [25:39] territory. In other words, there's an [25:41] agreement in here that the IDF can [25:42] remain there until certain conditions [25:45] are met, until these non-state armed [25:48] groups are dismantled and disarmed. [25:52] That's why the IDF is still there. And [25:55] we can commend the Lebanese for taking [25:57] these little actions that I've been [25:58] describing, but at the same time, [25:59] they're asking for the UN to come back [26:01] in. They're criticizing Israel. It's a [26:03] very sticky situation. One more clause I [26:05] want to show you here. The government of [26:06] Lebanon in accordance with the charter [26:08] of United Nations and an exercise of its [26:10] sovereign authority reaffirms that its [26:12] security forces hold the exclusive [26:15] responsibility for Lebanon's security. [26:17] So why are you calling the UN to bring [26:19] back UNIFIL, [26:22] right? Um and finally, [26:25] this is from the annex. So this [26:27] agreement that was signed in June also [26:29] had a security annex [26:31] uh that was attached to it. And in [26:33] there, I just want to show you one [26:34] clause in it. The the the Lebanese armed [26:38] or or two clauses. The Lebanese armed [26:39] forces commits to take necessary [26:42] operational measures to ensure the [26:44] disarmament of Kisbala and all other [26:46] non-state armed groups and that they [26:48] have no military role or capability [26:50] within Lebanon. Pending successful [26:52] completion of an agreed upon and [26:54] verifiable disarmament and dismantlement [26:56] process, Israel commits to a phased [27:00] conditionsbased progressive reduction [27:02] and eventual redeployment of its forces [27:04] from Lebanese territory [27:07] to coincide with Lebanese armed forces [27:10] deployment. In other words, Israel only, [27:12] this is a signed agreement between [27:14] Israel and Lebanon. You got to have this [27:15] in your back pocket. There's a signed [27:17] agreement between Israel and Lebanon [27:19] that Israel only needs to withdraw from [27:22] Lebanese territory afterbalah [27:25] is verifiably disarmed and dismantled. [27:28] The Lebanese government agreed to that. [27:30] Remember that next time someone tells [27:32] you uh next time you hear the Lebanese [27:35] government complaining about Israel [27:36] being there or someone tells you that [27:37] Israel shouldn't be in Lebanon. All [27:39] right, good. That's what I have today. [27:41] Make sure you sign up for the webinar. [27:42] Thanks for watching. God bless.
