Hawzah News Agency- In a message issued on the occasion of the New Year, Sheikh Qabalan said Lebanon is “in the middle of a country that is constantly collapsing,” describing the current period as one of “clinical death” for the state amid widespread political, social, and economic anger.
He warned that Lebanon’s historic political structure is struggling under deep sovereign, political, and intellectual crises, stressing that the country has entered a phase of open-ended instability that threatens its very foundations. Addressing centers of power, particularly official state institutions, Qabalan said the country is facing “frontal crises” while the ruling elite remains detached from reality.
The Lebanese cleric criticized what he described as the formal continuity of the state without substance, saying the country is trapped in empty positions and hollow institutions that merely consolidate collapse and leave Lebanon “in a state of nowhere.” He described the ruling authority as “absurd and rootless,” accusing it of pathological stubbornness and an inability—or unwillingness—to take sovereign decisions, implement reforms, or rebuild the country.
Sheikh Qabalan said Lebanon is currently governed by a dysfunctional cabinet, a “useless government body,” and a circle of incompetent ministers, while ordinary citizens bear the brunt of the crisis. He stressed that Lebanese families, which he described as the cornerstone of the national project, have suffered immense damage, as political and national distrust continues to spread and consume what little confidence remains in the state.
He warned that the real danger lies not in competition for political posts but in an organized national and sovereign shutdown, noting that the crisis is not merely constitutional but fundamentally political. According to Qabalan, the political vacuum has been deliberately transformed into a tool for paralysis, deception, and the inversion of national priorities in line with foreign dictates that thrive on Lebanon’s destruction.
The Grand Mufti emphasized that no country can be built without reform and a unifying national leadership, pointing out that Lebanon today lacks effective institutions, independent judicial oversight, credible accountability mechanisms, and national solidarity plans. He criticized what he described as rampant political and financial corruption, particularly efforts to impose the costs of financial collapse on citizens to appease the International Monetary Fund, which he said has left a trail of devastated nations.
Qabalan further condemned the absence of accountability, noting that despite the scale of the catastrophe, no serious political or financial responsibility has been assumed, and even those detained over corruption cases were later released. He warned that failure has become normalized to the point that it no longer requires justification.
Stressing that governance must serve the public interest rather than perpetuate empty power struggles, Qabalan said Lebanon’s entire public system is under threat. He argued that salvation can only come through national programs and policies rooted in sovereignty, not through revenge-driven politics or foreign agendas that accelerate national collapse.
He also warned that Lebanese citizens have been effectively excluded from the state’s calculations, lacking social protection, healthcare guarantees, educational security, and even basic rights. “Nothing is more dangerous,” he said, “than becoming accustomed to collapse and accepting it as a national destiny.”
On the issue of sovereignty, Sheikh Qabalan stressed that Lebanon needs genuine national independence rather than international transactions, warning that the greatest danger is a state unwilling to perform its core responsibilities. He criticized the government’s stance on security issues, particularly in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs, accusing it of failing to reclaim sovereignty or confront the Zionist threat, and of showing indifference to the killing of Lebanese citizens.
He said political decision-making has either vanished or been reduced to hollow rhetoric, adding that no government in Lebanon’s history has become as accustomed to failure as the current one. According to Qabalan, this reality threatens the very concept of the state.
Describing 2025 as a catastrophic year at the national and sovereign levels, the Grand Mufti said the ruling authority has failed to act as a national guarantor and has shown no willingness even to save itself. He emphasized that Lebanon faces existential threats and that there is no real guarantor of its security except a strong, sovereign government rooted in national power.
Sheikh Qabalan reiterated that the army and the resistance remain the pillars of Lebanon’s national sovereignty, stressing that “there is no alternative to the army and the resistance.” He said the weapons that liberated Lebanon and safeguarded its survival for decades cannot be eliminated, warning that denying this reality amounts to betrayal.
Concluding his message, Sheikh Qabalan said Lebanon stands on the brink of a decisive political moment, expressing hope that upcoming parliamentary elections could provide an opportunity to restore sovereignty and rebuild a strong, dynamic state. He warned that 2026 will be a critical year, adding that Lebanon’s national value depends entirely on sovereign government choices, cautioning that without a truly national and independent government, the country faces its most dangerous existential crisis.
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