Wiam Wahhab, a Lebanese Druze party leader and former minister, called to make peace with Israel in a long interview on the show Whala’ Shu on Lebanese TV.
Wahhab, who was known to be a supporter of the Islamic Republic’s axis, made a series of unexpected remarks, including stark criticism of the Iranian axis and his careful call for normalization with Israel, as he was quoted saying, “I advise the Shi’ites to go to peace with Israel and let’s all live happily.”
“I’ll be frank with you. The topic of Israel and the Arabs needs to be discussed. The nation does not want a war with Israel; it’s been 70 years of war with Israel,” said Wahhab in the interview.” “If they were to ask me, I would say: take [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 1701 as a guarantee… I think they should go to peace. The nation does not want to go to war.”
The anchor Georges Salibi, who appeared stunned by the proposition, asked him to clarify: “Do you call to normalize relations with Israel?”
Wahhab then answered by arguing that Lebanon cannot be the only one left in the state of war. “The ‘Axis’ sacrificed much for Palestine; my parents went after Gamal Abdel Naser. We went after the Palestinian resistance and the Lebanese resistance to free our land. The nation does not want to fight. Let’s follow the majority. Will you fight for them? The Muslim Brotherhood, which is Iran’s ally – they don’t want to fight. So we have to fight for them?”
Bashar Al-Assad himself was also amongst those criticized by Wahhab. According to the Lebanese politician, Assad’s fall came as a result of a number of reasons, including his misconduct towards his supporters, which included Alawites, Sunnis in the big cities in Halab and Damascus, and some Druze. Wahhab claimed that Assad managed to disappoint, starve, and steal from all of his supporters, and he also relied on the Russians and neglected his own army. Wahhab also claimed that Assad had some problems with the Russians since he did not want to settle with Erdogan over their occupation in northern Syria, and the Russians were too busy in Ukraine.
When asked about his former loyalty to the regime, Wahhab explained: “I will kill and make a deal with the devil in order to protect my family if needed.”
In another striking comment, Wahhab claimed that he played a role in an array of an exchange of messages between Israel and Syria through a third Western party, in which Israel demanded Assad not arm Hezbollah, but Assad did not agree. He also implied that this is what ultimately led to the current scenario that unfolded, in which HTS leader Ahmad Al-Sharaa ultimately took control of Syria, and Israel advanced in the Golan Heights. In this context, Wahhab also named Assad as “a liar” while his brother Maher received more trust, which is why, according to him, the messages went through the brother rather than the tyrant himself.
Wahhab’s criticism of Iran and its proxies
This is not the first time recently that Wahhab pointed criticism at the so-called “axis of resistance,” which he once supported. Last month, he came out against Hezbollah for attempting to steal religious garbs from the Druze in Lebanon to dress up as Druze clerics and hide their terrorist activity and claimed Hezbollah is gone.
In the interview, Wahhab also pointed criticism at the Iranian axis. “The axis of resistance was nothing more than Hassan Nasrallah and Qassem Soleimani,” he said, adding that once the two died, it all ended. “The only victorious one in the region is Netanyahu.”
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