- 10 minutes ago
In his first interview after assuming charge as Ambassador of Lebanon to India, Hadi Jaber discussed the devastating impact of the ongoing West Asian conflict on Lebanon. Jaber explained that Lebanon was 'dragged into' the war after Hezbollah launched six rockets against Israel on March 2 without government approval.
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00:00A war not of their choosing, but one that they've been drawn into.
00:04This is a war that is not just between the United States of America, Israel and Iran.
00:12It has now crossed borders. It has involved West Asia and a country that has suffered greatly and gravely because
00:22of the war is Lebanon.
00:24More than 800 civilians dead. To discuss the situation on the ground and how Lebanon is reacting to and looking
00:33at this entire problem, this entire war, I'm being joined in his first conversation after coming to India, Ambassador Hadi
00:42Jabbar.
00:42Ambassador, thank you so much for joining me here.
00:45You've taken over as the ambassador of Lebanon to India, but you've had a huge experience when it comes to
00:55your postings almost in five continents.
00:58Also, the fact that you have dealt with the situation in Lebanon also very closely.
01:05Let's begin with what's happening on the ground. We saw one building taken down.
01:08We are seeing civilians also impacted by the war. How is Lebanon looking at the situation right now?
01:15First, I would like to thank you for having me here. I would like to say that no, no war
01:23is good. Always wars are very bad.
01:26However, unfortunately, the war has started without even the will of the Lebanese government. We didn't decide to go into
01:37it.
01:37We were dragged into it, as you said. Unfortunately, we're suffering. As you know, the Israeli aggression and the destruction
01:47that they are doing into Lebanon is very huge.
01:50It's taking its toll on the number of martyrs and injuries. You said above 800. Now, it reached 912 martyrs,
02:04more than 2,200 injuries.
02:07We have more than 1 million displaced Lebanese. They are leaving their homes, their houses, their lands in the south
02:15because they are going to safer places, to shelters.
02:20The destruction is very vast. There are so many villages in the south. They have been destroyed, destroyed, and demolished.
02:29Many, many houses, buildings demolished completely.
02:34We hope that this will come to an end very soon, with the help of the international community. Hopefully, we'll
02:43see it very soon.
02:44And India, of course, is one of the friendly countries to Lebanon.
02:48Right, Ambassador Jabbar, you spoke about the civilians and the fact that the situation is dire. But there is a
02:56very important decision that was taken by the Lebanese cabinet on the 2nd of March, and that has to do
03:03with prescribing or banning an armed Hezbollah.
03:07But Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government as well, or the parliament. How does, then, the government balance a
03:17Hezbollah, which is armed, and Hezbollah being part of your political system?
03:23Actually, Hezbollah had a very important, crucial role in liberating the south of Lebanon until the year 2000.
03:33Unfortunately, after that period, Hezbollah has still had their independent entity, regardless of the country, of the government.
03:48On the eve of March 2nd, Hezbollah has launched six rockets against Israel, without the willing or even informing anybody.
04:01And we all know that the effects of a few rockets against Israel will do nothing.
04:08It will only entail a huge destruction to Lebanon, knowing that Israel is a very brutal, they have a very
04:20brutal arsenal, and we have previous experiences with them, very bad experiences with them.
04:26So, we didn't want to go into this war, and the government, the cabinet meeting, presided by His Ex. President
04:34of Lebanon, they convened, and they had the decision to outlaw the security and military branch of Hezbollah,
04:45because they cannot go on like this, because they cannot go on like this, decision of gauging a war, decision
04:53of having peace or war, should be exclusively done by the state.
04:57So, they are not, they are considered illegal, they cannot go on like this, so they are not, they are
05:09not, they are not, they are not, they are not allowed, anymore, to, to perform their, their operations, freely.
05:17The Lebanese army tried very, very keenly for the last few months, in order to, to take control of all
05:26the storages, the facilities of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
05:30But, unfortunately, what happened now, the war has, is raged now between Hezbollah and Israel, and the Lebanese government cannot
05:41do anything, for the time being.
05:43All what we can do is calling upon the international community to, to put restraints also, to put some pressure
05:50on Israel, to stop their aggression, and to help us to, to, to deal with the issue.
05:56So, the Lebanese army should be supported by the international community, so that it will, it will undertake their, their
06:05duties as well.
06:06There is a huge refugee crisis at hand over here.
06:10We are looking at a lot of people from Lebanon now, trying to move across borders, just to be safe
06:16for the timing, till the war continues.
06:18What are the numbers, Ambassador, and how are you dealing with the neighbouring countries, where they are moving, where the
06:24Lebanese people are moving?
06:26The vast majority of the people now displaced, they are, as I told you, over 1 million, they are talking
06:32about 20% of the population of the country.
06:34Imagine 20% of the Indian population, imagine this number.
06:38So, they are being forced to, to be, to, to flee their, their villages.
06:44So far, we cannot see a considerable number of Lebanese crossing the, the, the borders.
06:51They are being displaced over the territory of, of Lebanon.
06:54The people from the south Lebanon, let's say, and, uh, uh, the Dahi, the suburbs of Beirut, they're trying to,
07:01to flee to Beirut, the capital, and other areas in Lebanon, other, uh, other cities, and other areas in the
07:07north, in the middle of Lebanon.
07:09But you don't see, we don't see, we don't have considered a number of Lebanese who are crossing the borders
07:14so far.
07:15Okay.
07:16Um, the, the order itself, March 2nd, banning of Hezbollah, and there were certain, uh, overtures that Lebanon made, certain,
07:27certain movements towards maybe a negotiation.
07:30Is Lebanon looking at, uh, reaching out to Israel directly?
07:35What's the status there?
07:36And what is it that, uh, that your president wants?
07:40Yeah.
07:40Actually, His Excellency, the president of Lebanon, he had a virtual meeting with the, uh, leaders of the EU and,
07:46uh, uh, leaders of the Arab world, uh, also Turkey and other countries.
07:52And they had, uh, the, uh, our, uh, our, our president, he put through a plan of, a four points
07:58plan, which is, uh, very, very important if the, uh, if it can be implemented.
08:05Uh, uh, it had, uh, actually four, four points.
08:08I may read it so that you may use it.
08:11The first point is establishing a complete ceasefire, including the cessation of all Israeli land, air, and naval attacks on
08:18Lebanon.
08:18A point two, rapidly providing necessary logistical support to the Lebanese armed forces.
08:25The third, the Lebanese armed forces would immediately take control of the areas of recent tensions, seize all weapons present
08:33there, and dismantle Hezbollah's weapons depots and stockpiles, based on the information available to them.
08:40The fourth point, which is also very important, simultaneously, Lebanon and Israel would begin direct negotiations
08:47under international sponsorship to implement the details of these arrangements.
08:52That's very important.
08:53That's a very important statement you're making.
08:55You're saying Lebanon wants to directly negotiate terms and conditions of peace with Israel.
09:01Yes, under, under international sponsorship.
09:05Would this also mean diplomatic ties with Israel?
09:08Uh, not for the time being.
09:10We don't know.
09:10Now, we're talking about direct negotiations to see what it takes for the safety of Lebanon, what we care about
09:18now, the safety and security of our people, of our land.
09:22And we can deem it that this is the most important way how to go through this.
09:27Because we experienced so many things in the past.
09:30We came to a conclusion and to a belief that war will not be good to anybody.
09:37But any tango needs to be, if you want to dance a tango, you need to tango, as they say.
09:44So, Israel also should understand and should reach to a conclusion that maybe at least ceasefire would start a step
09:55towards, like, a peaceful end for this conflict.
10:01But they need to come to a conclusion, Israel, to stop their attacks against Lebanon, to start these direct talks,
10:09as we said, under international sponsorship.
10:12Let me get this correct, Ambassador.
10:14Has Hezbollah compromised Lebanon's security and safety?
10:19As I said, according to what happened on March 2nd, it was quite very bad because Lebanon was dragged into
10:30this war.
10:31And we all know that balance of power is not against us.
10:35And we tried this war before many times.
10:38And we did not succeed.
10:40And we came to a real conclusion that we should not go through wars again, one.
10:46Second, especially this war has nothing to do with us.
10:49Why should we interfere with the war between the U.S., Israel against Iran?
10:56So, this is very bad.
10:59We feel that it was very negative to interfere in this war.
11:03But what's your reading or what's Lebanon's reading of the war itself?
11:06The fact that Israel and America have attacked Iran.
11:10What's your reading of the war?
11:14As I told you in the beginning, no war is good.
11:17Wars are very bad.
11:19Now, once you are inside, when you are within this war, you cannot say who is right and who is
11:25wrong.
11:25Because once the war is on, you cannot tell anymore.
11:32The fighting is going on, the sufferings of the people, the civilians.
11:38So, you cannot just say who is right and who is wrong.
11:42Right.
11:42Ambassador, we've also seen all through, since the October 7th attack by the Hamas, situation in Gaza, now things are
11:53also looking pretty bad in the West Bank.
11:55In such a scenario, how does Lebanon deal with a neighboring Israel that has, under Prime Minister Netanyahu, that has
12:06not only created or wreaked havoc in Gaza,
12:09but also now is looking at ensuring that Iran also sees a regime change.
12:19Do you see an end game over here?
12:20Do you see America and Israel going and moving ahead with a plan in place?
12:28Normally, we don't like to comment on something which is not related to Lebanon.
12:33Honestly speaking, I don't want you to comment on this.
12:38What we care about as Lebanon, we care about, because you touched upon the Palestinian issue and so on, the
12:45Gaza and West Bank.
12:46Lebanon has been supporting Palestine years, tens and tens of years ago, since 1948 and before that.
12:55And we're still hosting our Palestinian brothers, giving shelter to them, supporting them and so on.
13:02We still support the Palestinian cause, but we're not willing to do anything else.
13:08Because this support to Gaza, two years ago, had inflicting very harm.
13:15And Lebanon was also, the beginning of the destruction was because we tried to support and to interfere in the
13:22war against Gaza.
13:24We should not have done it, even at the times of Gaza.
13:28Not only this time.
13:30We shouldn't have done it when the war started in Gaza.
13:33Other issues, I prefer not to comment on this.
13:36Okay.
13:37But do you believe that the fact that Lebanon or Lebanese territory, as Israel puts it, is used as proxy
13:45against them,
13:47is something that has created problems?
13:49Has Hezbollah been used as a proxy in the war between Israel and Iran?
13:56As I said in the beginning, we should not have been dragged into the war.
14:00It's not in the interest of Lebanon to go through this war.
14:06Now, you name it whatever you want.
14:08But we should not have, it's not in the interest of my country to be into this war.
14:15We should not start any war, we shouldn't have launched any rocket, anything, at least.
14:23It's not our war.
14:24And as a diplomat, as somebody who's been watching the developments, how do you see,
14:30and what's your reading of Iran having attacked the GCC countries, or West Asia, the Middle East countries, as retaliation?
14:39Actually, historically, we have very good relations with the Gulf countries.
14:45The GCC, they have been doing very good things.
14:48They have been supporting Lebanon tens and tens of years ago.
14:52We have very excellent relations with them.
14:57GCC, they used to help, and they are still helping Lebanon.
15:00We have excellent relations.
15:02We have tourism from the Gulf areas.
15:05We have the investments.
15:08We have labor.
15:10Lebanese, like around half a million or less, working in the GCC.
15:15So there is no agenda between Lebanon and the GCC.
15:18We have only brotherly relations.
15:21So what we've seen is really surprising.
15:24It's not accepted at all what the Iranian regime has done.
15:28For the harm has been inflicted on the Gulf areas, Gulf countries.
15:36Targeting the Gulf countries' lands is not acceptable by any means, under any pretext.
15:43Ambassador Jabber, that's a very significant statement you're making,
15:46because it comes at a time when most ambassadors we were talking to,
15:50even at the conclave, which you were also invited to,
15:53is the fact that this is not a sustainable war.
15:56Now let's zoom out a little and look at Strait of Hormuz.
15:59Oil being choked, supplies not going into GCC countries, their basic necessities.
16:05What's your reading on sustainability of this war?
16:08Can they sustain the war till they see what they call an end game,
16:13which is regime change in Iran?
16:18Again, regarding regime change, or there is no regime change.
16:22Now let's talk about sustainability of the war.
16:23How long do you think it can last?
16:26I guess no one can project how long would it take,
16:31because it depends on the balance of power, it depends on many issues.
16:35It depends on whether the Israelis and the United States,
16:38they will achieve their goals,
16:40or whether the Iranian regime will collapse or not.
16:44There will be resistance within the Iranian regime.
16:47The Iranians will not respond, they will not revolt,
16:50because as President Trump and Mr. Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel,
16:57have said that they are looking for internal revolt,
17:01they are doing all this to see some internal changes.
17:05So far, I don't know if there is anything,
17:08and I believe that, I don't know if this will happen or not, nobody knows.
17:14So we have to wait and see.
17:15But economically, the fact that India is feeling the pain of LPG shortage,
17:21most countries are feeling that.
17:24Russia, everybody is looking to now for oil.
17:27Is this a sustainable war then?
17:30When the choke points of Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz,
17:34that's Bab al-Bandam and Strait of Hormuz,
17:38both are being controlled,
17:40Houthis and Iranians,
17:41both are being controlled by Iran in one way or the other.
17:44In such a scenario,
17:47the economic collapse or the stress can be seen.
17:52So can this continue?
17:55Or how long can it continue?
17:57I just am asking for an assessment from Lebanon.
18:00What's the assessment?
18:02It should not stay for too long, certainly.
18:06We are longing to have peace again.
18:09It's not in the interest of anybody.
18:11The people of all countries are suffering.
18:15We hope that this war will end very soon.
18:19Now, the economic impact is huge.
18:22We can see now the barrel,
18:23the oil barrel now,
18:25it has reached more than 110,
18:26110 and may go higher.
18:29But hopefully it will end very soon
18:32because if it goes even higher and higher,
18:35it will affect on the economies.
18:36And India, as you said,
18:38the LPG issue and concern is very bad.
18:41Ambassador Jabbar,
18:42who is your government in touch with?
18:45Are they looking to have talks with Israel?
18:48What has the response been?
18:49Are they looking to talk to D.C.?
18:51What's the response been
18:53if you're looking for an outreach with President Trump?
18:57And as an ambassador over here,
18:59what are your conversations diplomatically with the U.S.
19:03regarding the outreach with the Israelis and the U.S.?
19:07The President, our President,
19:10His Excellency,
19:11he's put this initiative,
19:12the Four Points Initiative.
19:14We're waiting for a certain feedback
19:16from Israel and the U.S.
19:18So far, we don't have a clear feedback
19:22whether they will work on it or not.
19:25But hopefully, we'll see it very soon
19:27because it's in the interest of all countries,
19:29I think, for this.
19:31As for the government of India,
19:35as you know, we've been,
19:38we have had and still hopefully
19:40we'll have this historically brotherly relations,
19:44a very good relations with India.
19:45and we rely on friends like India.
19:50They call always for the cessation
19:53of the ceasefire and peace.
19:57Hopefully, they will continue like this
19:59and put pressure on all parties as well.
20:02On that note,
20:03that's a hard job.
20:04Thank you so much for joining us.
20:06Thank you very much.
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