The former head of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, pointed out that “Israel does whatever it wants, as happened in 1978 and 1982 when it invaded Beirut.” Jumblatt added, in an interview with the newspaper l'orient le jour: "Benjamin Netanyahu considers Lebanon an open arena for him, which leads to a repetition of the same cycle of violence." He stressed that dialogue is the key to resolving the crisis, pointing out that the Gulf states did not completely sever their relations with Iran, and that the Saudi Foreign Minister held telephone conversations with his Iranian counterpart that focused on dialogue. He explained that Iran must be contacted to find out whether it intends to continue using part of the Lebanese people in the war.