Project Watan: From the Strait of Hormuz to the UN Security Council… A Prolonged Conflict in Lebanon and the Need to Protect the State

Project Watan’s Executive Board held its regular meeting, chaired by MP Neemat Frem, in the presence of its members. At the conclusion of deliberations, the following statement was issued:

• The Executive Board considers that, thirteen days after the outbreak of the war, it has become evident that the confrontation in the region has gone beyond its military dimension to clearly enter the phase of a geopolitical economic war, as reflected in its unfolding outcomes. In this context, the Strait of Hormuz emerges as a key pressure point in the conflict, placing the global economy as a whole at risk.

Accordingly, in light of the seriousness of this global development, Project Watan expects that this war may not be prolonged, while expressing concern over the continuation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and the possibility of its escalation into a ground invasion. This could trigger major instability in Lebanon – one whose beginning is known, but whose end and trajectory remain uncertain.

• Project Watan considers that the war unfolding in Lebanon is taking the form of a “shifting strategic conflict,” one that begins as a confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah but may evolve into multiple conflicts – internal ones and others along Lebanon’s various borders.

Therefore, Project Watan reiterates its repeated calls on all Lebanese parties to adopt the Lebanese state as their sole and final umbrella, and to cease serving external interests at the expense of their own country. The participants also note that the option of extending Parliament’s mandate for two years – subject to shortening or further extension depending on evolving circumstances – stemmed from a firm conviction that Lebanon is going through a pivotal phase, and that preserving the continuity of the legislative institution is not merely a technical measure, but a national necessity that serves as a safety valve against further institutional disintegration and total collapse.

• Project Watan considers that the outcomes of the recent UN Security Council session on Lebanon, along with the converging international positions that accompanied it, outline the beginning of a more assertive international approach to the Lebanese crisis. As political pressure intensifies and security and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate, the international community may, at some stage, resort to Chapter VII – amounting to a form of on-the-ground international intervention aimed at supporting Lebanese legitimacy in extending its authority over all Lebanese territory.