Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel warned on Wednesday that Lebanon is at a “critical crossroads” during a meeting with French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian in Beirut. He said the country faces a stark choice: move toward peace and stability with renewed hope for the future, or pay the price for failing to assert its sovereignty.

Speaking after his meeting at the Kataeb headquarters in Saifi, Gemayel sharply criticized Hezbollah, saying the group “lacks the capacity or capability to confront Israel” and that its weapons are no longer justified.

“Holding onto its arms serves no purpose, especially since Hezbollah has acknowledged agreement to relinquish weapons south of the Litani,” he said. “This effectively nullifies the group’s claimed role and supposed mission to defend Lebanon against Israel.”

He questioned the purpose of Hezbollah’s weapons north of the Litani, citing the party’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem’s admission that the arms are not intended to defend Lebanon or liberate Palestine.

“Their real purpose is to intimidate their own community and the Lebanese people, and to hold Lebanon hostage while preparing to defend Iran,” Gemayel said. “Southern Lebanon is currently irrelevant to Hezbollah.”

Gemayel stressed that Hezbollah’s intentions must be clear to both the president and the prime minister.

“We must take swift and comprehensive action to remove all weapons outside state authority and crack down on any armed groups operating outside the law. The decision has been made. Now we must implement it and take concrete steps to protect Lebanon from any Israeli strike. The state must act decisively,” he said.

While expressing confidence in President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, Gemayel emphasized the urgency of preventing future crises. Lebanon, he argued, must send a clear message to the world that the state controls its land, its laws, and its territory.

“No one can claim the army is incapable of operating north of the Litani,” he said. “The army and government have approved a plan, and Lebanon is committed to following it. Israel must respect the army’s work, which is being carried out fully and professionally, and the mission should be completed by year’s end. Israel cannot attack areas that are supposed to be secure.”

“The state must assert its authority with an iron fist and make clear that no one can approach areas under its control,” he added.

Gemayel also criticized Hezbollah for complicating the army’s work and storing weapons in civilian homes, while accusing Israel of not facilitating the army either.

“As long as weapons remain in storage and militias can access them, they will eventually be used. There is no such thing as ‘containing weapons.’ Either we are a state, or we are not,” he said. “Either we uphold equality, or Lebanon becomes a non-viable country. There is no middle ground. Weapons must be collected, or we cease to be a state.”

He stressed that Lebanon’s top priority is avoiding war, noting that negotiations initiated by the president through former Ambassador Simon Karam are essential.

Gemayel criticized recent public displays marking the fall of the Syrian regime, saying they violated Lebanese sovereignty.

“The scenes we witnessed should never have happened. Our sovereignty must be respected. They should not be raising foreign flags or brandishing pictures of foreign leaders, especially those belonging to a regime to which Lebanon has paid a heavy price. These scenes could have been avoided. Supporters of the new Syrian regime are free to return to Syria.”

On upcoming parliamentary elections, Gemayel said the Kataeb Party supports holding them on schedule but warned of deliberate attempts to block the process.

“We support holding elections on time, but what’s happening now is a deliberate effort to push us to a dead end, putting postponement on the table,” he said. “We are at an impasse. Either the law is upheld or revised, but we cannot leave elections in limbo.”

He also called for reviving the army support conference, highlighting the crucial role of Army Chief Joseph Haykal and the military in safeguarding sovereignty and enforcing state authority.