Lebanese army chief: Our coordination with Syria continues and our relations are "good"

Lebanese army chief Rudolf Heikal stressed that relations between the Lebanese army and the Syrian authorities are "good" and that coordination between the two sides is continuing, especially with regard to border control and joint security.

Heikal's remarks came during a meeting he held with military commanders in the town of Yarza in Baabda district, according to a statement issued by the army command on Saturday,  June 20.

"The relationship with the Syrian authorities is good in light of the ongoing co-ordination," Heikal said, noting that the military units tasked with protecting the border are "carrying out their tasks to the fullest".

On the domestic front, the army chief stressed that maintaining security and stability is a "constant national priority," considering that this constitutes the first line of defense against attempts to "destabilize internal security," which, he said, are in Israel's interest.

He added that the military will continue to perform its duties "resolutely and responsibly" to prevent any threat to civil peace, stressing that "attempts to undermine or question the role of the army will not affect the determination of the military personnel or their commitment to their duty."

Hizbullah praises Syria's refusal to enter Lebanon

Hizbullah Secretary-General Naim Qassem praised Syria's stance rejecting intensified US and Israeli pressure to intervene militarily in Lebanon against the group, saying  Damascus "foiled a plan that was aimed at besieging the resistance from more than one side".

Qasem's remarks came in a televised speech on Friday evening, June 19, in which he said that the United States and Israel tried to push the Syrian authorities to open a front from eastern Lebanon, within the framework of what he described as a "plan to untie the pliers", so that Israel would press from the south and southwest, while the Syrian pressure – if it took place – would come from the east and northeast, considering that the goal of this scenario was to "encircle the resistance and end its existence completely."

Damascus's rejection of this proposal prevented the implementation of what he described as a "major international conspiracy", he said, noting that Syria's official position "thwarted a serious attempt that would have pushed the region into a broad confrontation".

Lebanese Positions Rejecting Trump's Proposal

The army chief's statements came in the context of successive Lebanese positions confirming the strength of relations between Syria and Lebanon in response to US President Donald Trump's proposal for Syrian forces to enter Lebanon to help disarm Hezbollah, the latest of which was the position  of the head of the Lebanese Phalange Party, Samir Geagea, who announced that Trump's proposal does not have any Lebanese or Arab support.

Geagea's remarks came in statements on  the Lebanese MTV channel on Thursday,  June 19, in which he clarified that no one agrees with what the US president put forward regarding the entry of a Syrian into Lebanon to solve the problem of "Hezbollah", stressing that the rejection is not limited to the Lebanese political forces, but includes regional and international parties concerned with the Lebanese file.

Geagea said: "The president of the republic has announced more than once that the proposal of Syrian intervention in Lebanon is out of the question, as is Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara, who is grateful for his policy towards Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia does not agree, and therefore this proposal is unacceptable and has no luck."

 Lebanese Justice Minister Adel Nassar also rejected US President Donald Trump's proposal that Israel leave Syria to "deal with Hezbollah" in Lebanon, arguing that Damascus would "do the job better."

Speaking on CNN's "Connect the World" program on Wednesday, June 17, the Lebanese justice minister said that the party's disarmament is "the responsibility of the Lebanese state and not of foreign forces."

"It's not about sending foreign troops to do the job, Lebanon has suffered for years from foreign interference. If Hezbollah today is a proxy for Iran, it's because of Iran's interference in Lebanon's internal affairs."

Zeidan: Syria has rejected a US proposal to intervene in Lebanon

Syrian presidential adviser Ahmed Zeidan stressed that Syria is "not interested in any military or security intervention in Lebanese affairs" and that it has rejected a US proposal for Damascus to intervene there.

In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV, Zeidan said in response to US President Donald Trump's proposal to use Syria to carry out what he described as "precision surgical strikes" against Hezbollah inside Lebanon, that Damascus rejected this proposal "absolutely and immediately."

Zeidan added that Syria supports the extension of the Lebanese state's control over its entire territory, and that "the support of the Lebanese government is not through military interventions, but through the empowerment of state institutions and the strengthening of its legitimate authority."

"Damascus views Lebanon's stability as an important regional interest, but it adheres to the principle of respect for sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states," Zeidan said, noting that entering the Lebanese arena militarily is akin to "entering a political and sectarian minefield," which Damascus seeks to avoid completely within the framework of its new vision for regional relations.