Hezbollah calls for national unity on Lebanon’s 82nd Independence Day

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
Today 15:15

On Lebanon’s 82nd Independence Day, Hezbollah urges Lebanese political forces to unite and implement measures to safeguard sovereignty against Israeli aggression and US-led pressures.

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Hezbollah fighters raise their fists and chant slogans as they march in the funeral procession of five comrades killed in Israeli strikes in the southern town of Nabatieh, Lebanon, Sunday, November 2, 2025. (AP)

Hezbollah urged the consolidation of national unity, solidarity, and cooperation among Lebanese political forces, in a statement issued on the occasion of Lebanon's 82nd Independence Day.

In its statement, the Resistance group called for a number of measures to preserve Lebanon's independence in the face of Israeli aggression and an "American siege."

Hezbollah pointed to the sensitive regional context in West Asia, stressing that "safeguarding Lebanon's independence" is a responsibility that should be shared among "all Lebanese."

"It requires a spirit of resistance to occupation, aggression, tutelage, and domination; national awareness and a unified stance; and the preservation of the equations that secured independence," the statement reads.

In its message, Hezbollah recounted that such actions forced an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon on May 25, 2000, ended the Israeli aggression on Lebanon in 2006, stopped terror organizations from taking control over Lebanese territory in 2014, and cut short the Israeli occupation of achieving its goals in the 2024 aggression.

"The Lebanese people have offered convoys of martyrs and a stream of sacrifices to reclaim their independence and liberate their land from the clutches of occupation," Hezbollah underlined.

Hezbollah lists immediate measures to safeguard sovereignty

The group then outlined several measures and called for their immediate implementation.

Consolidating national unity, solidarity, and cooperation among all Lebanese, across all their spectrums and political forces, as these are the essential pillars for confronting Israeli aggression and preserving Lebanon’s independence and dignity.
Rejecting all forms of external subordination or diktats, as Lebanon’s independence can only be preserved by confronting any foreign project and shielding its sovereignty and decision-making from influences that do not serve the interests of Lebanon and its people.
Defending Lebanon’s rights over all its land, territorial waters, and natural resources, and affirming its natural and legitimate right to defend itself and resist in response to any aggression.
Holding firm to Lebanon’s elements of strength and not relinquishing them, in order to safeguard its national rights and provide a foundation for foiling all schemes and plots targeting Lebanon and the region.
Exerting all possible and immediate efforts to compel the Israeli enemy to implement the ceasefire agreement and enforce Resolution 1701, and pushing guarantor states to pressure it to halt its escalating attacks that now target civilians, schools and their students, municipal employees, homes, livelihoods, and economic interests. This also requires exerting all means to end the Israeli occupation, expel it from the South, and prevent its expansion and threat to Lebanon’s security and sovereignty.
Taking practical steps to rebuild and ensure all necessities are made available for Southerners.

The Lebanese Resistance party concluded its statement by stressing that the Lebanese people who sacrificed what is dearest to them to safeguard the nation "will never allow their independence to be undermined or their dignity and sovereignty violated, and will give all that is precious to preserve them."

Lebanon army chief urges liberation of land

In the context of Lebanon's 82nd Independence Day, Lebanese Army Commander Rodolphe Haykal also issued the “Order of the Day” on the eve of the 82nd anniversary, warning that the country is facing “a decisive phase, among the most difficult in its history,” amid the continued occupation of Lebanese territory by the Israeli occupation, and escalating attacks and violations along the southern border.

He stressed that the liberation of all Lebanese land remains fundamental to realizing the full meaning of independence.

Haykal said the Israeli occupation’s ongoing assaults have led to martyrs and wounded civilians and soldiers, limiting the army’s ability to expand its deployment across the entirety of the nation's territory while inflicting widespread damage on homes and infrastructure.

Furthermore, he stressed that the "Lebanese Army has exerted major efforts since the implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement, despite its limited capabilities and mounting challenges." These steps, he explained, fall within a broader plan to reinforce the army’s presence south of the Litani River and ensure the authority of the Lebanese state is exercised over every part of the country.

Protecting Lebanon on all fronts

Haykal emphasized that all operations are carried out under the directives of the Lebanese government, with full adherence to Resolution 1701 and its provisions, and in coordination with UNIFIL and the mechanism committee tasked with overseeing its implementation.

Resolution 1701 was reached in the wake of the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon. It calls for the full cessation of hostilities and the deployment of the Lebanese Army to Southern Lebanon, as well as the establishment of a demilitarized zone between the Blue Line and the Litani River.

He further stressed that the success of these national defense efforts hinges on robust institutional support and the allocation of sufficient resources to sustain ongoing military operations. Strengthening the living and working conditions of army personnel, he noted, is essential to enabling them to restore stability and safeguard the homeland.

Haykal said that, in addition to defending the southern border, the army continues to confront terrorism, pursue wanted individuals, dismantle drug-trafficking networks, secure the northern and eastern frontiers, protect Lebanon’s territorial waters, and counter smuggling operations in coordination with the Syrian authorities.