Geagea calls on government 'to dissolve Hezbollah's military and security wing'

The secretary general of Hezbollah is "an outlaw," and the Lebanese government should "dissolve Hezbollah's military and security wing."

The head of the Lebanese Forces (LF), Samir Geagea, did not mince words Thursday night during a televised appearance on the Lebanese MTV channel about the group.

Reacting to the latest speech by Naim Qassem, in which the latter stated that his party was "concerned with the need to face" the American threat against Iran and was "not neutral" in a conflict involving its Iranian backer, Geagea said these statements are "unacceptable," and asserted that the Hezbollah secretary general had "violated all laws and all constitutions."

"He is an outlaw. How does he dare to confiscate the decision of war and peace?" he asked, accusing Qassem of having "seized, with total audacity, the state's most precious decision."

According to the LF leader, Hezbollah "does not have the right to drag Lebanon back into war," under penalty of making itself "criminal towards its own community first, and towards Lebanon as a whole second."

Discussing the repercussions of a possible fall of the Iranian regime, an ally of the party, or a U.S. strike against it, Geagea even argued that such a scenario could have "a positive effect on Lebanon."

"Hezbollah has set Lebanon back 40 years compared to the rest of the world," he accused.

In early January, the Lebanese Army announced it had disarmed Hezbollah in the area between the Israeli border and the Litani River, which runs some 30 kilometers further north.

It is now set to expand the application of its plan to the rest of the territory, while Hezbollah refuses to surrender its weapons north of the river.

"The Lebanese Army has recovered some weapons, but it's still not enough," Geagea said. "Sheikh Naim calls for the presence of the state, so where is the state? Leave us alone so there can be a state," he criticized.

While he saluted the army's actions "in light of its capabilities," he insisted that "the military dissolution of Hezbollah is a political decision, not one for the army."

"It is unacceptable for the minority to continue to control the majority in Lebanon's political life. This has been the case for 40 years, and it's time for it to end," he added. "Clearly, I am calling on the [government] to dissolve Hezbollah's military and security wing," Geagea went on.

The LF leader further said he now shares "the same goal and the same approach as President Joseph Aoun," specifying that their disagreement had been over "the pace of the president's actions."

"A year was lost for Lebanon, and this was where our views diverged. He finally became aware of this reality," he explained.

Just over a week ago, following Joseph Aoun's statements about the arms monopoly, the LF leader joined other Christian leaders in expressing his support for the president.

At the time, he welcomed the "clear and responsible" statements and wished that "we achieve, as soon as possible, the truly functional state to which the Lebanese have always aspired."

Geagea's remarks then contrasted with those he made more than a month earlier, directed at the president and at Nawaf Salam, the prime minister, whose government the LF is an integral part of.

At the time, the LF leader said that "the joy the Lebanese felt at your arrival in power ... has unfortunately not yet been translated into stability and confidence in the future."

The stance was interpreted by some observers as political calculation, just months ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for May.

In his speech on Jan. 20 before the diplomatic corps, Aoun reaffirmed his determination that, as of the second year of his mandate, "our entire territory will come under the exclusive authority of the state," despite Hezbollah's opposition to any disarmament north of the Litani and threats made by its secretary general, Qassem.