Hadi Al-Assad

Fourteen years already. Fourteen years have passed since Nassir al-Assaad’s departure, and yet my brother’s memory remains intact in the hearts of all those who knew him, loved him, esteemed him, or simply crossed his path on the road toward a Lebanon he dreamed of as free, sovereign, and dignified. Nassir belonged to that generation of men who sought neither the spotlight nor honours. He believed deeply in just causes without ever seeking any personal gain from them. A discreet but determined artisan of the Cedar Revolution of 2005, alongside Samir, Fares, Elias and Samir, but also Walid, Gebran and others, he had understood early on that Lebanon could not survive without freedom, without pluralism, and without a State.

Lebanon can no longer afford the luxury of ambiguities. In a context of generalized collapse — economic, institutional, and social on the one hand, and of merciless war on our country — one truth imposes itself with absolute urgency: there can be no recovery, nor any affirmation of the state's role, without the full and complete restoration of its authority. On this essential point, a major step forward has already been taken: the clear decision to affirm the illegality of Hezbollah's military formation and to concentrate arms in the hands of the legitimate armed forces. This decision is just. It is necessary. It is vital.