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Geagea says Hezbollah should disarm and operate solely as a political party

During MTV's "Sar el-Wa'et" show, Geagea discussed Lebanon's ceasefire, developments in Syria and the presidential elections.

Geagea says Hezbollah should disarm and operate solely as a political party

Samir Geagea during a talk show on Dec. 11. (Credit: Geagea's X account)

BEIRUT — Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Friday that Hezbollah should cease to exist as a military and operate solely as a political entity. 

During an appearance on MTV's "Sar al-Wa'et" (The time has come), hosted by Marcel Ghanem, Geagea stated that the Lebanese Army is fully capable of implementing the cease-fire agreement and defending Lebanon against aggression. He reiterated his view that Hezbollah should no longer function militarily, but rather only exist as a political entity. 

On Nov. 27, a cease-fire took effect following more than 13 months of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel in parallel with the war in Gaza. In his last speech, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that the agreement pertains to areas south of the Litani River.

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Geagea warned that failure to implement U.N. Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701 would push Lebanon "into the unknown."

Resolutions 1680 and 1701 were both adopted in 2006. The former resolution addresses border delineation with Syria, while one of the key agreements of the second calls for Hezbollah’s withdrawal from the south of the Litani River. Resolution 1559, passed in 2004, demands the disarmament of "Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias" in the country.

Geagea criticized the Lebanese government, claiming it has avoided challenging Hezbollah. “The government knew where we were headed a year ago and did nothing,” he said.

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He insisted the cease-fire agreement mandates Hezbollah’s disarmament across all of Lebanon, not just south of the Litani River. “This agreement is clear and explicit, and everyone must adhere to it to ensure the sovereignty of the Lebanese state over its entire territory,” Geagea said.

Geagea added that if Hezbollah refuses to comply, it’s on them, "but we will not accept a return to the situation pre-Oct. 8, 2023, situation,” he said referring to the date that Hezbollah opened its "support front" for Gaza, which initiated the cross-border fighting between the party and Israel.

Syria and regional developments

Geagea claimed that recent events in Syria are tied to efforts to diminish Iran’s influence in the region, citing the seizure of a key crossing between Syria and Iraq by anti-regime forces.

In recent days, rebel factions led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, launched a rapid offensive, capturing territories in Aleppo, Hama, and Daraa.

"The rapid and incomprehensible withdrawal of the Syrian army raises big question marks, and we must wait for the coming hours to see whether Iran exits Syria with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, or whether Assad is complicit in what is happening," Geagea said.

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He also suggested U.S. and Israeli involvement in Syria, stating that the U.S. is "present" in everything and Israel is "behind it." He added that the opposition’s seizure of the Syria-Iraq border has disrupted supply routes between Iran and Hezbollah. “It’s game over for Hezbollah,” he said, predicting the eventual fall of the Syrian regime.

According to him, the Lebanese army is capable of protecting Lebanese territory if any of the Syrian opposition factions try to approach the Lebanese border and "there is no fear of any incursion ... from the Syrian side."

Geagea expressed confidence in the Lebanese Army’s ability to defend the border against any incursions by Syrian opposition forces and dismissed fears of a new wave of Syrian refugees. "There is no fear of any incursion ... from the Syrian side ... [And] there is no fear of a new wave of Syrian displacement." 

"I believe that the majority of those fleeing are against the Assad regime, so they will return as soon as the operations are over," he added.

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Lebanese prisoners in Syria

The rebel offensive has renewed attention on the issue of Lebanese citizens missing since the country’s 1975-1990 civil war. Following the capture of Hama and Aleppo, rebels reportedly freed hundreds of detainees, including at least one Lebanese prisoner held since the 1980s.

"As soon as we learned of the release of some Lebanese prisoners in the Syrian regime's prisons, we started moving and made contacts with our friends in Qatar, ... Turkey and the moderate Syrian opposition to know the conditions of the prisoners and how to communicate with them and get them to Lebanon", Geagea said.

Geagea said, "We made contacts" with Qatar, Turkey and moderate Syrian opposition groups to secure the return of prisoners. He also noted the unresolved case of Boutros Khawand, a Lebanese Forces member kidnapped decades ago.

"We also talked about the two fugitives from justice in the assassination of our comrade Pascal Sleiman." Sleiman is a Lebanese Forces official from Jbeil who was killed in April near his home when a gang, allegedly attempting to steal his car, kidnapped him and took him to Syria.

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Presidential elections

Geagea emphasized the need for a president who would implement international resolutions and uphold the ceasefire agreement. “We are in a decisive presidential battle that will determine the country’s future,” he said.

Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, when Michel Aoun’s term ended. After more than a year of failed parliamentary sessions, Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a new vote on Jan. 9.

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"The roadmap until January 9 begins with giving a two-week deadline to try to reach a candidate with the other side who has the required specifications," Geagea said.

While Geagea ruled out running for president himself, citing political obstacles, he said he supports any candidate who meets the 'opposition’s' criteria. He dismissed Berri’s claim that an open election session could disrupt Parliament’s work, questioning the speaker’s intentions.

Geagea stressed the importance of prioritizing the election of a president before addressing the selection of a prime minister to avoid the pitfalls of quota-based politics.

Geagea also criticized Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil, accusing him of lacking a clear political stance. "When the two big teams in the opposition and resistance decide, then [Bassil] will decide what to do."

BEIRUT — Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said on Friday that Hezbollah should cease to exist as a military and operate solely as a political entity. During an appearance on MTV's "Sar al-Wa'et" (The time has come), hosted by Marcel Ghanem, Geagea stated that the Lebanese Army is fully capable of implementing the cease-fire agreement and defending Lebanon against aggression. He...