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Aug 06, 2021
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Former Lebanese Ambassador To Jordan Tracy Chamoun: It Is Not Hizbullah’s Job To Defend Lebanon – That Is The Role Of The Lebanese Army; Hizbullah Must Not Drag Lebanon Into A Regional War

#9029 | 01:45
Source: MTV (Lebanon)

Former Lebanese Ambassador to Jordan Tracy Chamoun said that Hizbullah committed a terrorist act when it fired rockets at Israel, even though Israel is an enemy country. She made her remarks in an interview that aired on MTV (Lebanon) on August 6, 2021. Chamoun said that it is not Hizbullah’s job to defend Lebanon, and that is the role of the Lebanese army. She added that if Hizbullah wants to get involved in the war between Iran and Israel, it is free to do so, but it must not drag Lebanon into this. In August 2020, Chamoun resigned her position as Ambassador to Jordan on live TV in protest following the Beirut Port Blast. For more information, see MEMRITV clip no 8196.

Tracy Chamoun: "If we were a respectable country – and we have drifted very far from this – the [authorities] would go and arrest the people who launched the rocket [at Israel]. I know that the rocket targeted the enemy, but this is an act of terrorism coming from Lebanese land."

Interviewer: "Is Hizbullah firing rockets an act of terrorism?"

Chamoun: "It violates international laws, including Resolution 1701, and [the commitment] to avoid war."

Interviewer: "You consider the firing of rockets by a Lebanese party defending its land..."

Chamoun: "Yes, because it is not Hizbullah's job to defend the land. This should be a national Lebanese decision, and the Lebanese army should be the one defending Lebanese land. It is not up to one party. Hizbullah today does not represent the entire Lebanese people. It must not take such a measure all by itself..."

Interviewer: "But the army is absent. It is absent on the ground, and we also do not know its position."

Chamoun: "The army must make its position about this known."

[...]

Interviewer: "It is a purely Lebanese matter, or is it connected to what is happening in the region?"

Chamoun: "If it is connected [to the region] it is even more dangerous. It means that they want to drag us into a war that is not ours. It is a war abroad, far away. If they want to take part in the war between Iran and Israel, they are welcome to do it, but they must not drag Lebanon into this. We in Lebanon cannot tolerate wars anymore."

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