Siniora is unflinching in his assessment of Lebanon’s lost sovereignty.
“Practically, Lebanon as a state has been kidnapped by Hezbollah. And behind Hezbollah is Iran.
“This gun that was held by Hezbollah, instead of being pointed towards Israel, started to be pointed domestically and started to be used as a way for Iran to interfere in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen. Lebanon can’t get involved in such a war.”
Siniora was also one of the architects of UN resolution 1701, the agreement which ended the 2006 war.
Among its conditions was that a swathe of southern Lebanon – the area south of the landmark Litani river – should be kept as a buffer zone between the two sides, free of any Hezbollah fighters or weapons.
Despite the deployment of the UN peacekeeping force Unifil and the presence of the Lebanese army, that didn’t happen. Hezbollah’s people, and its military infrastructure, remained bedded into the area.
This vacuum at the top of the Lebanese political system has made Hezbollah’s influence on the country particularly difficult to control.
Lebanon has been without a properly functioning government since its last set of elections in 2022, being run instead by a caretaker administration.
When President Michel Aoun’s term ended nearly two years ago, lawmakers couldn’t agree on his replacement – so the job remains empty. Many Lebanese believe leadership is in short supply.
Siniora is also clear that the conflict in Lebanon should not be inextricably linked to the current year-old war in Gaza.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has visited regional capitals, calling for simultaneous ceasefires in both Lebanon and Gaza.
“Since October 2023 things have been dragging and getting worse and worse. Many chances were made available to dissociate the Lebanese situation from Gaza. It’s very important nationally and from an Arab point of view to associate with Gaza,” Siniora said.
“But particularly now Lebanon cannot afford, in principle, to get involved in such a matter.
“When the Gaza situation has become 2.2 million Palestinians homeless and all of Gaza destroyed, to continue to link Lebanon’s situation with Gaza is not wise.”
