Nasrallah Claims Israel Still Occupies 2.5 sq km of Lebanese Waters, Which Lebanon Must “Liberate”
After the final signature of the Lebanese-Israeli maritime demarcation agreement, Hassan Nasrallah said on October 31 that no security guarantees were given to Israel and that there is a disputed area of “2.5 square kilometers” still not resolved. Nasrallah claimed that because of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the West’s need for oil and gas, and, most importantly, “the lack of readiness of the enemy (Israel) to enter into a war,” the United States was compelled to avoid any new wars in the region. In his televised appearance, Nasrallah also claimed that the power of Hezbollah’s deterrence had forced the Israeli “enemy” to avoid war, and asserted that negotiations had almost failed and the situation was headed toward war before the “enemy” retreated. As for the remaining disputed 2.5 square kilometers (out of the 860 square kilometers covered by the maritime agreement), Nasrallah said that area is still occupied by the “enemy,” and “Lebanon must work to liberate it.”
Activists Mock End of Aoun’s Presidency While Parliament Rejects Aoun’s Eleventh-Hour Attempt to Dissolve the Mikati Government
Meanwhile, in the Lebanese political sphere, President Michel Aoun’s term ended on October 31 with no successor in place. Lebanese activists greeted the end of his term by making the viral hashtag “History will curse you” and numerous pictures and phrases mocking the unpopular Aoun’s departure.
On his last day in office, Aoun signed a decree declaring the government of Prime Minister Najib Mikati to be dissolved, but Mikati rejected the decree and claimed that Aoun no longer had the legal authority to issue it. The Lebanese Parliament quickly sided with Mikati, voting to reverse Aoun’s decision and declaring the outgoing president’s decree unconstitutional. The next day, Gibran Bassil, Aoun’s son-in-law and head of Aoun’s Free National Party, claimed that Hizballah, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and Mikati had made an agreement that the government would hold no cabinet sessions as long as the presidency was vacant. Bassil also announced that he would be visiting Bashar al Assad to discuss the details of an agreement Bassil had reached with Hassan Nasrallah, by which Bassil and his rival Samir Geagea supposedly would agree on a third candidate to assume the presidency.
