Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who heads the Amal movement, told the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar that the U.S.-brokered framework is a set of demands, not a rights-preserving pact. He warned it could ignite internal strife and reiterated that the Lebanese army is a red line that must not be touched.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri escalated his opposition to the U.S.-brokered framework agreement with Israel on Monday morning, warning in an interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated daily Al-Akhbar that the deal is a "fitna" — a civil war trap — and that the Lebanese army is a red line. The interview, published around 08:30 Jerusalem, represents Berri's most forceful public statement yet on the framework, which he characterized as a set of dictates rather than an agreement safeguarding Lebanon's rights.
The warning builds on a series of Berri statements tracked by The Zioneer since Saturday. At 14:04 on June 27, Berri first rejected the deal and warned of civil war, using a metaphor of a young camel unable to carry riders or give milk. At 07:41 this morning, Berri was quoted calling it "ten times worse" than the May 17, 1983 agreement. The Al-Akhbar interview deepens that critique, adding the "fitna" label and explicitly naming the army as a red line — a point of consensus with Hezbollah, which formally rejected the pact on June 26. Across the thread, Berri's rhetoric has shifted from general opposition to specific, escalating warnings: first calling the deal "illogical" (14:04 June 27), then saying it "will not be adopted" (14:04 June 27, same timestamp), then comparing it to the 1983 pact (07:41 Monday), and now branding it a civil war trap.
The wider Lebanese political landscape remains deeply divided. As The Zioneer reported on Sunday (15:30/15:32 June 28), Christian Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea publicly backed the framework, calling it the most important step in 50 years and attacking Berri. Hezbollah rejected the deal on June 26. Berri's Amal movement, an uneasy Shia partner of Hezbollah, has clashed with the group as recently as June 5 in Sidon over rocket placements, but on this issue Berri aligns with Hezbollah.
It remains unclear whether Berri's "fitna" warning signals a willingness to mobilize supporters against the deal on the street, or is a political red line aimed at extracting concessions in internal Lebanese negotiations. Berri acknowledged he and President Joseph Aoun are not in contact, hinting at strained executive-legislative relations.
7 developments
- DevelopingLebanese Forces leader Geagea backs framework deal with Israel, attacks Berri
- DevelopingLebanese Speaker Reportedly Sets Conditions for Israel Deal
- DevelopingLebanese Parliament Speaker says Hezbollah working to undermine deal with Israel
- StrongHezbollah says it is not committed to the framework deal with Israel
Source and signal
- Internal intake