Kataeb Secretary General Serge Dagher pointed out that “the safe zone is one free from Hezbollah’s leadership. Today, Israel is pursuing these leaders regardless of the area, and targeting is now accessible from both sides.”

In an interview with OTV, Dagher affirmed that “the war will not end soon, and the issue of a ceasefire is not easy because Israel has no intention of ending the conflict; rather, we will move towards a specific settlement.”

He stated, “Iran does not wish for a ceasefire; instead, it is fighting and sacrificing our people. This is the difference between Iran and other countries that only offer advice. Iran is responsible for the extermination of Hamas and Hezbollah and the destruction of the South and Gaza.”

He added, “The Iranians will wait until after the U.S. presidential elections to engage in negotiations and a settlement that aligns with their interests. The Lebanese people will pay the price for this waiting period, and Iran should leave us alone and allow us to live away from its battles and interests.”

Dagher further remarked, “Hezbollah’s narrative has collapsed in ten days. It could not protect its leaders and weapons, despite claiming that Israel would not dare to strike Beirut, the suburbs, or the South. However, we have seen that the strikes have affected all of Lebanon. So, did the resistance’s weapons protect Lebanon and create a balance of terror?”

He questioned, “Who said that Israel wants to occupy us? Hezbollah has used this excuse to destroy the South, the suburbs, and all of Lebanon. The Israelis do not want to occupy the South; rather, it is the party that decided to intervene in the Gaza war and open the support front, leading us to where we are today.”

He emphasized that “what connects Lebanon to Israel is a truce agreement signed in 1949, and it is essential to return to its implementation. When all Arab countries meet to sign a peace agreement with Israel, we as Lebanon must be among those countries.”

Dagher stressed that “no one or any country has the right to impose the election of a specific president on us, and no names have been proposed in all the meetings held with international diplomats.”

Regarding the argument of fear for Hezbollah’s MPs, he said, “Let the House Speaker Nabih Berri, call for a session to elect a president, and we will accompany Hezbollah’s MPs to the sessions, but it is noticeable that there is no intention to target Hezbollah’s MPs.”

On the absence of Kataeb Leader MP Samy Gemayel from the Maarab meeting, Dagher said, “The party leader has been facing threats for some time and does not leave Bikfaya due to heightened security measures, especially since he does not participate in pre-arranged meetings with set times and locations.”

He noted, “The opposition is not led by anyone because it consists of several parties, and what it demands is a democratic election of a president that does not provoke anyone.”

He added, “Our presidential candidate so far is Jihad Azour, who is not a challenging candidate because Bassil has agreed to vote for him.”

Dagher confirmed that “the Kataeb Party supports the application of the constitution and restricting arms solely to the Lebanese state.”

He concluded, “The guarantee of the Shia community is the Lebanese people and their support for it, not weapons or Iran, and Lebanon’s guarantee is the unity of its people.”