The leader of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, has expressed confidence in the government’s determination to move forward with plans to disarm Hezbollah, calling it a necessary step toward restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Sami Gemayel © Mena Today
The leader of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, has expressed confidence in the government’s determination to move forward with plans to disarm Hezbollah, calling it a necessary step toward restoring Lebanon’s sovereignty.
In an interview with Al Arabiya.net and Al Hadath.net, Gemayel voiced his full support for the army’s plan to consolidate all weapons under state control.
He dismissed threats from Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem, who recently warned that disarmament could trigger a “Karbala-style battle.”
“Step by step, Lebanon is moving toward reclaiming sovereignty and limiting arms to the Lebanese army. This is what the majority of Lebanese want,” Gemayel said.
According to Gemayel, 90% of parliamentarians support the move, including Speaker Nabih Berri, leaving Hezbollah as the only bloc in opposition.
He noted, however, that political positions in Lebanon are often changeable, recalling that in 2016 most parties backed Michel Aoun, the Hezbollah-aligned candidate for the presidency, except Kataeb.
On the withdrawal of Shiite ministers from a recent cabinet session, Gemayel said the move reflected Hezbollah’s continued resistance. “But the decision has been taken,” he insisted, pointing to ongoing efforts by the army and UNIFIL to dismantle arms depots.
Hezbollah’s threats, he argued, remain largely rhetorical. “Even their motorcades barely gather a hundred people,” he said, adding that many Lebanese, including Shiites, are weary of the destruction and displacement caused by Hezbollah’s alignment with Iran.
Looking ahead, Gemayel urged the state to stay the course in order to unlock international aid for reconstruction and economic recovery.
“All Lebanese need this, including the Shiite community, but without Hezbollah’s or Iran’s tutelage,” he stressed.
On Syria, Gemayel condemned the Assad regime for “40 years of suffering, assassinations, and destruction” in Lebanon, but did not rule out future relations with Damascus provided they are conducted on a state-to-state basis.
He also reminded that Hezbollah had been implicated in the assassination of Rafic Hariri, in coordination with the Syrian regime.
Turning to Saudi Arabia, Gemayel praised Riyadh’s “historic and positive” support for Lebanon and lauded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as an “exceptional leader” reshaping the Arab world.
He aligned himself with Saudi Arabia’s vision of a Lebanon that is “free, sovereign, and without armed militias.”
Hezbollah official Mahmoud Qmati told Reuters on Saturday that the group considered Friday’s cabinet session on an army plan to establish a state monopoly on arms "an opportunity to return to wisdom and reason, preventing the country from slipping into the unknown".
Lebanon's cabinet on Friday welcomed a plan by the army that would disarm Hezbollah and said the military would begin executing it, without setting a timeframe for implementation and cautioning that the army had limited capabilities.
Lebanon's government is set to discuss a plan on Friday for disarming Hezbollah, a critical juncture in a standoff between the Iran-backed group which is refusing to give up its weapons and rivals who want it to disarm in line with U.S. demands.
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