The leaders of the largest Christian political parties in Lebanon called for the state’s monopoly on weapons after Hezbollah’s war with Israel weakened it and left south Lebanon in ruins
“We’ve been missing a real state for 50 years,” Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, a harsh critic of Hezbollah, said Saturday, calling for the state to have monopoly on arms and to be the sole decision maker in the country.
“We cannot build a real state without the state’s monopoly on arms,” Geagea said, claiming that the occupation is the result of Hezbollah’s arms.
Hezbollah was created by Israel after the so called Black September in 1970 ‘s when PLO fighters fled from Jordan to Lebanon and intensified their attacks from southern Lebanon against Israel . The Shiite areas in southern Lebanon were devastated the most which brought them closer to Israel . Hezbollah was adopted in 1982 by Iran following Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah was very popular in 2000 after it was able to help end Israeli occupation of south Lebanon but its popularity diminished greatly ever since .
Hezbollah brought death, destruction, and despair to Lebanon ever since 2000. Its arms have become a symbol of ruin.
The majority of the Lebanese are convinced that Hezbollah’s military apparatus must be handed over to the Lebanese army—not necessarily for use because they have proven to be worthless and catastrophic.
Every time Hezbollah fought a war against Israel , Lebanon ended up losing a chunk of land to Israel. In its 2006 war against Israel Lebanon ended up losing the northern part of the town of Ghajar and in its 2023/24 war with Israel Lebanon under up losing 5 strategic hills to Israel .
Hezbollah and arms have become a huge liability for Lebanon ., according to analysts
“Let us be clear: Hezbollah has never been a resistance movement. It is a burden on Lebanon’s shoulders. It is because of Hezbollah that Lebanon’s economy has collapsed. It is because of Hezbollah that Lebanon now ranks as the third most miserable country in the world—just behind war-ravaged Afghanistan and Zimbabwe”, Ali Hussein a Lebanese political analyst was quoted as saying .
Hezbollah initiated the attacks against Israel in October 2023 to help its Iran- backed Hamas ally in its war against Israel. Like Hezbollah Hamas was also created by Israel to fight the Palestinian Fatah organization , but later adopted by Iran to increase its influence in the Middle East
Under a truce deal reached in late November, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south and Israel was to withdraw all of its forces from south Lebanon, but its troops remain today on five hills in south Lebanon that they deem “strategic” and refuse to leave , for fear that Hezbollah may attack northern Israel
Israel has also continued to carry out near-daily strikes against Lebanon, in which it is targeting members of Hezbollah who remained in the south in violation of the truce deal .
Hezbollah’s chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and other Hezbollah officials have said that Hezbollah will not disarm unless Israel withdraws from south Lebanon and halts its violations.
“Sheikh Qassem and everyone else in Lebanon knows that Hezbollah’s was never created to defend Lebanon or to liberate Palestine. It was created to serve Iran’s regional ambitions. And Iran has never truly sought to liberate Palestine—it has used the Palestinian cause as a tool to destabilize the region and spread its influence through armed proxies like Hezbollah, Ali Hussein was also quoted as saying .
The situation in the south over who withdraws first was described by analysts as ” Chicken and Egg situation “
Even Hezbollah’s former , Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement , also called for monopoly of arms by the Lebanese army.
“We support the state’s monopoly on arms,” Bassil said Friday, accusing Hezbollah of breaking the trust of the Lebanese by using its arsenal in a way that did not serve Lebanon’s interests.
“Hezbollah has made a strategic mistake and Lebanon’s interest is in distancing itself from regional conflicts.” He said
Bassil is the son-in-law of FPM founder , former President Michel Aoun, a key ally of Hezbollah. Bassil criticized Hezbollah for several times for initiating the war with Israel.