Samir Geagea: Hezbollah Must Lay Down Its Weapons as Soon as Possible

Samir Geagea, the leader of Lebanon's largest Christian party, stated on Thursday that the militant group Hezbollah must lay down its arms as soon as possible to keep Lebanon away from the dangers of war and further bloodshed. In an interview with Reuters at the headquarters of the Lebanese Forces party in Ma'arab, north of Beirut, he said the cost of destroying Hezbollah's infrastructure and ammunition depots is the destruction of a large part of Lebanon. Critics of Hezbollah, including Geagea, accuse this Iranian proxy group of unilaterally dragging Lebanon into war with Israel. Geagea mentioned that if the challenges and costs arising from the Israel-Hezbollah war are so significant, Lebanese people should use it to restore their country to normal conditions. The veteran Lebanese politician described the disarmament of all militia groups in the country, except for the Lebanese Army, as the 'shortest' and 'least costly' way to end the war. During the clashes between the Israeli army and Hezbollah forces, many areas in southern Lebanon, from where Hezbollah has repeatedly attacked Israel, have been devastated. Geagea dismissed Hezbollah's claim of preventing Israeli forces from dominating southern Lebanon, stating that according to Israel's 'new military doctrine,' the Israeli army leaves the country after conducting operations against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and may later target areas deeper in Lebanon. This prominent Lebanese Christian figure noted that even if Hezbollah is rearmed, Israel has military and economic superiority over this Iran-backed group. Geagea considered the likelihood of a civil war in Lebanon to be low, emphasizing that his party is firmly against such a war. However, he added that given Lebanon's economic problems, the displacement of a large number of Shiites to predominantly Christian and Sunni areas could lead to issues. During the Lebanese Civil Wars from 1975 to 1990, Geagea's Lebanese Forces party, then led by Bashir Gemayel, was allied with Israel. Bashir Gemayel, who was elected as President of Lebanon, was assassinated in September 1982 before assuming office. Following the terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah unilaterally began its rocket and drone attacks on northern Israel. In response, Israel has conducted severe attacks against this group's positions in Lebanon and Syria, killing hundreds of members of this major Iranian proxy in the region, including its leader and senior military commanders such as Hassan Nasrallah, Foad Shukr, Ibrahim Aqil, and Hashem Safi al-Din. Simultaneously, Israel has deployed ground forces to parts of southern Lebanon amid heavy airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, southern Beirut suburbs, and the Bekaa Valley, resulting in over 1.2 million Lebanese being displaced. Several countries, including the United States, Israel, Germany, Serbia, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, and Australia, have recognized Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Israel emphasizes the continuation of its confrontation against arms support for Hezbollah. The Security Council condemned attacks on UNIFIL peacekeeping forces in Lebanon. Israel confirmed its involvement in the explosion of Hezbollah's pagers. Speculations about a possible ceasefire in Lebanon continue, as Israel continues its attacks on Hezbollah and Hamas positions in Lebanon and Gaza.