The head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Dr. Samir Geagea, issued the following statement: “On the occasion of the happy Eid al-Fitr, I extend my warmest congratulations to the Muslims in Lebanon and the Arab world, and to all the Lebanese, hoping that this blessed Eid brings goodness, peace and reassurance to all. We hoped that this Eid would come in a time of stability and joy, in a state of calm and tranquility, after we made all possible efforts to end the war in Lebanon, so that our Eid would be occasions that bring families together and reunite them, and restore to man the meaning of life and interaction with God in these blessed days. However, unfortunately, Hezbollah insisted, through the missiles it launched on March 2, to turn the month of Ramadan, the month of blessing and life, into a month of displacement and suffering, and to impose on the Lebanese a harsh reality that contradicts the meanings of this holy month. On this holiday, we find ourselves celebrating the oppressed, the displaced, and the suffering, and telling them that, despite everything, we derive from this particular occasion hope for the Lebanon of tomorrow, the Lebanon of the future. We hope that this will be the last time that we are forced to celebrate our holidays amidst wars, chaos and destruction. We hope that this holiday will be a stop on the road to Lebanon’s salvation, and an actual beginning for the establishment of the state that alone represents a guarantee for all its people, the state that monopolizes weapons, prevents wars, and restores its true warmth to our holidays, far from the painful reality that we live in today. Eid al-Fitr Mubarak, hoping that the coming days will bring Lebanon and the Lebanese the security, stability and prosperity they deserve.”