The Lebanese Forces (LF) said Monday that they had “turned the page on the era when Iran considered Beirut one of four Arab capitals under its control,” while affirming that Lebanon — “far from being a colony of Israel, the United States, or any other global power” — was also “not under Iran’s exclusive influence.”

The LF press office statement came days after flights between Tehran and Beirut were suspended. Lebanese authorities had on Thursday barred an Iranian plane from landing, citing reports that Israel had threatened to strike Beirut's airport if the aircraft arrived. The LF said they “fully” supported the government’s decision.

The party of Samir Geagea also indirectly criticized Hezbollah officials for “denouncing the state’s assumption of its most basic responsibilities,” arguing that such criticism “should have been voiced the day Iranian airlines violated Lebanon’s sovereignty, its laws, and international conventions.” The previous day, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, Naim Qassem, had urged the Lebanese government to “respect the country’s sovereignty” and reverse the flight suspension, which he claimed was made “on Israel’s orders.”

The Christian party, a staunch opponent of Hezbollah, took a firm stance: “For three decades, Iranian airlines have systematically smuggled massive quantities of weapons, military equipment, explosives, and money into Lebanon illegally, violating both international laws and Lebanon’s sovereignty.”

“It is high time to put an end to these illegal practices that contradict fundamental principles,” the statement said, stressing the urgent need to establish a “real state—one that has the exclusive monopoly on weapons and guarantees the security of the Lebanese people as well as the country’s sovereignty.”

FL : Le Liban n’est ni une colonie israélienne, ni américaine, ni iranienne