Hezbollah is unlikely to abandon his political allies - President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law, the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Bassil – with the lack of any other alternative, a senior political source told Asharq Al-Awsat.
The source added that Hezbollah had no interest in weakening the president and his political party, because this would empower its rivals, mainly Al-Mustaqbal Movement of Premier-designate Saad Hariri, the Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb party.
The political source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hezbollah has sympathized with Aoun and Bassil in the government formation process, drawing criticism from other parties for not exerting enough pressure on the president to remove obstacles hindering the announcement of a cabinet lineup in line with the initiative launched by French President Emmanuel Macron last year.
Hezbollah, which backed a recent initiative made by its ally Speaker Nabih Berri to end the impasse, has also failed to persuade Aoun and Bassil to abide by it.
Bassil, who is seen as the main obstacle to the cabinet formation, insists that any lineup should be favor of his ambition to succeed his father-in-law at Baabda's presidential palace.
But the source says that Bassil has realized that his chances are dwindling, not only because of US sanctions imposed on him last year, but also for clashing with most political parties, except for Hezbollah.
