Project Watan fears an escalation in South Lebanon as a means to prevent the deterioration of the situation between Israel and Iran

“Project Watan’s” Executive Board convened their weekly meeting, chaired by Deputy Neemat Frem, with all members in attendance to discuss the latest local and regional developments. The following statement was issued afterward:

• “Project Watan” noted that just as the October 7 operation changed the dynamics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the entire Middle East region, so did the Iranian drones and rockets directed at Israel on April 16^th.

On the one hand, we observed a calculated Iranian response, operating within a framework of its own rules of engagement. On the other hand, it was evident that the American regulator plays a fundamental role in containing and controlling the conflict, thereby safeguarding global security. The situation in the Middle East today resembles that of Eastern European countries which ignited the outbreak of World War I. Given this reality, “Project Watan” warns against actions and reactions that could drag the region and the world into such a scenario.

• Project Watan is concerned that Israeli escalation on the South Lebanon front and deviating from the current rules of engagement may be the price to pay in order to prevent the deterioration of the situation between Israel and Iran, and the repercussions it will entail on Lebanon, the region, and the world. In this context, PW commends the international efforts aiming at putting the brakes on escalation, and calls on Lebanese parties and Lebanon’s friends worldwide to endeavor to halt hostilities in South Lebanon and return to the provisions of the 1949 Armistice Agreement and the full implementation of Resolution 1701 by all parties, immediately and before it is too late.
• The conferees addressed the successive crimes that have brought the Syrian displacement crisis to the forefront. Amidst the clear consensus among all Lebanese parties that the Syrian displacement as it is today poses a threat to social security and civil peace, “Project Watan” calls for exerting all efforts to enforce applicable laws and regulations on displaced persons, or establishing a new mechanism aimed at creating camps with clear borders and landmarks, in line with displacement conditions adopted in other countries that have hosted Syrian refugees under the umbrella of the law.