The President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, and the Prime Minister, Nawaf Salam, in Baabda on June 5, 2025. Photo taken from the presidency's X account.
What now? That’s the question echoing across Lebanon after the United States officially entered the Iran-Israel war with strikes on Iranian nuclear sites overnight Saturday. The move could mark a turning point — pushing Tehran to activate its network of regional proxies, Hezbollah foremost among them.
So far, the party has refrained from direct involvement in the conflict. But the U.S. intervention raises new stakes, prompting rising concern across Lebanon’s political landscape. Officials are now doubling down on one message: Only the state holds the authority to decide between war and peace.
At the same time, calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament are growing louder — even if no concrete action appears imminent.
President Aoun urges restraint
Just hours after the U.S. strikes, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun reiterated his firm opposition to Hezbollah being dragged into the conflict.
“The Lebanese — leaders, parties, and citizens — know better than ever the cost of wars that erupt on their territory,” read a statement posted Sunday on the presidency’s X account. “They are not ready to pay more, and they have no national interest in doing so — especially as the cost exceeds their capacity.”
Aoun warned that the U.S. bombings risk a broader escalation that threatens “the security and stability of more than one region and more than one country,” and called for restraint and a return to negotiations.
Prime Minister Salam: National interest is the priority
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam echoed those concerns, urging Lebanon to stay out of the war.
“In the face of this dangerous military escalation and the risk of regional repercussions, we must cling more than ever to our supreme national interest, which requires not being involved in this confrontation in any form,” he posted on X.
Salam and Aoun spoke by phone and agreed to “keep channels of communication open and work together to spare Lebanon the fallout, prioritize national interest, and preserve unity and solidarity,” according to the Presidency of the Council’s X account.
Salam also reached out to Defense Minister Michel Menassa, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, and Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haykal to coordinate security efforts and maintain stability.
Hezbollah silent — for now
Hezbollah has remained tight-lipped. “No official position at the moment,” party spokesperson Youssef el-Zein told L’Orient-Le Jour.
The Amal Movement, Hezbollah’s ally, still places faith in Speaker Nabih Berri’s recent reassurances. “There will be no war. I am 200 percent sure,” Berri said days ago. That position still holds, according to Amal MP Kassem Hachem — though he noted that “Israel bombs the South daily.”
Joumblatt, Hamadeh call for de-escalation — and disarmament
Druze leader Walid Joumblatt reacted quickly after the U.S. strike, calling for a cease-fire. “The balance of power favors the West,” he wrote on X. “A cease-fire is necessary to prevent further destruction.”
Marwan Hamadeh, a Joumblatt-aligned MP, was more direct, addressing Hezbollah: “The era of an armed Hezbollah is over — as is its dominance over Lebanese political life. The party must no longer act superior. It should integrate into the state,” he told L’Orient-Le Jour, calling on the government to accelerate efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s military arsenal.
Lebanese Forces: Hezbollah must get the message
The Lebanese Forces, long at the forefront of the anti-Hezbollah bloc, offered a sharp assessment.
“[President Donald Trump] ended Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the military superiority of its regional proxies. Hezbollah must take note,” said party spokesperson Charles Jabbour.
“No one has the right to lead Lebanon into war,” he added. “That decision belongs solely to the Lebanese government — and Hezbollah must respect that.”
FPM shifts tone
Even the Free Patriotic Movement, once allied with Hezbollah, appeared to shift its stance.
“The U.S. strike has changed the game and dealt a heavy blow to Iran,” said Nagi Hayek, the party’s vice president for regional affairs. “Hezbollah must now surrender its arms, per the terms of the November 2024 cease-fire.”
Despite FPM’s longstanding opposition to President Aoun, Hayek praised him. “The president had been waiting — perhaps rightly — for the right conditions for disarmament. Now, I believe, he can proceed.”
Mark Daou: Time for a new regional order
Reformist MP Mark Daou also weighed in: “The project of weapons outside the state is over. Those who can’t see that are risking the lives of Iranians and Lebanese,” he posted on X, calling for “new understandings with Syria and Israel to establish Arab and international relations that can safeguard Lebanon’s interests.”
Michel Pharaon: Decades of paying the price
Former Minister Michel Pharaon lamented on X that “Iran and Israel have converged on the language of interests through terrorism or state terrorism.”
“The Iranian regime and Hezbollah squandered opportunities for peace by pursuing domination and nuclear escalation,” he wrote. “Lebanese citizens have been paying the price for decades.”
