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Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah requested a "national plan" for Syrian refugees during the Shiite party's ceremony commemorating the Prophet's birth date on Monday. This comes amid political agreement from different Lebanese parties. 

Here's what you need to know:

Syrian refugees

"I ask for a national plan, a national strategy, a national program that the Lebanese would agree on and submit to the world outside of Lebanon."

Nasrallah said that the Lebanese government, army and municipalities should be pressured to implement said plan.

He suggested that there "should be a distinction between workers and refugees" in refugee statistics.

Nasrallah said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have too much control on the Syrian refugee situation.

"UNHCR does what it wants. Where is Lebanese sovereignty? We heard that UNHCR is giving residency permissions," he stated.

Nasrallah added that controlling the borders "is a problem that should be addressed by searching for the mafias of smuggling, those who get paid to smuggle Syrians to Lebanon."

The Syrian refugee file has been widely discussed in the Lebanese political scene in recent months. Almost all parties agree that Syrian refugees should be repatriated but have not come up with a plan yet.

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Presidential vacuum

Regarding the year-long presidential stalemate in Lebanon, Nasrallah said that there is "nothing new."

Leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) Gebran Bassil has spoken about continued support by Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, of Marada Leader Suleiman Frangieh. The opposition Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) are trying to make Jihad Azour, a senior official at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), head of state. This is despite diplomatic efforts by Paris and Doha to pave the way for a third candidate. 

These statements come against a backdrop marked by four years of institutional and economic crises in Lebanon, including a year-long impasse in the presidential elections and the upkeep of a resigned government since the legislative elections of May 2022.

LGBTQ+

Nasrallah criticized the LGBTQ+ community in his speech and compared them to animals. 

In recent months, Hezbollah fueled a campaign against the LGBTQ+ community, notably through its Minister of Culture Mohammad Mortada. In his July speech, Nasrallah denounced "the growing phenomenon of deviance, decadence, disintegration and family chaos", presumably alluding to the community.

Land border

"The responsibility of the land border negotiations is the responsibility of the Lebanese government and we will not intervene ... We will cooperate with the government [and do] whatever we can to help," said Nasrallah in his speech. 

"We reject any link between the land border negotiations and the presidential elections ... We will not make any compromises in the land border file in exchange for the election of Suleiman Frangieh whom we support," he added.

Nasrallah said that there are three titles in this file: Shebaa Farms and Kfarshouba Hills, Ghajar — both Israeli occupied and on which Lebanon has claims — and the disputed area near Naqoura.