Beirut-based scholars union chief warns against US influence in Lebanon

LEBANON, July (YPA) – Sheikh Maher Hammoud, the Beirut-based head of the International Union of Resistance Scholars, warned on Thursday of attempts to draw Lebanon into American policies and Israeli occupation’s dictates.

In a statement, he argued that the proposed framework agreement serves U.S. directives in a manner that benefits Israeli occupation.

Hammoud said the continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon should have prompted the Lebanese state to take a firmer position, asserting that the target of the attacks is not only Hezbollah but Lebanon as a whole.

He also criticized a tendency within the Lebanese state, including the presidency and government, to grant Israel the right to defend itself.

Referring to the 1983 May 17 Agreement between Lebanon and Israel, Hammoud said opposition to the accord had initially faced widespread criticism before, in his view, later being vindicated.

He further argued that conflict between the Lebanese army and Hezbollah, as well as sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shiites, is impossible.

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