Kataeb party leader’s Advisor, Elie Marouni, deplored the constant challenges facing Lebanon’s tourism sector, saying that every summer, the country faces political and security upheavals whereas successful tourism requires stability.

“Unfortunately, the state has ceded its decision-making power to Hezbollah, effectively replacing itself with a statelet”, Marouni said in an interview on Voice of Lebanon radio station.

“We are living in a clash of cultures. Some believe in participating in all regional wars to justify keeping their weapons, while others believe in the future and want a free, sovereign, independent, and prosperous nation. We support the people of Gaza on humanitarian grounds, but how do we help them if we destroy our own country?”

Marouni accused Hezbollah of bringing destruction and ruin to Lebanon, stressing the urgent need for opposition forces to unite in order to confront Hezbollah’s hegemony and curb its dominance.

“There can be no State with the presence of a statelet,” he affirmed, reiterating the Kataeb party’s call for neutrality.

Marouni asserted that Lebanon is indeed at war, with villages being completely destroyed as it is the case in Gaza.

“We reject this war, and the question is, ‘How did Gaza benefit from the ongoing war in the south?’” he asked.

“It is the Lebanese army’s duty to defend the borders, and we will stand by it when it makes this decision. However, the countries negotiating with Hezbollah today are legitimizing its illegitimacy, and the state has abandoned its role.”

Asked about the opposition’s role amid the ongoing hostilities in the south, Marouni stressed that it remains steadfast, but much more is required.

“Unity is needed in the face of those dragging us into ruin. Therefore, a strong, united opposition front must be established to confront the obstinacy of the Shiite duo that wants to execute an external agenda at the expense of Lebanon,” he added. “However, within the opposition, there are two camps: one that believes in unity and another that has not yet been convinced of it."