Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel issued a stark warning on Thursday, declaring that Lebanon is at a turning point in its modern history, one that requires the country to face hard truths about its stalled state-building and the persistent influence of armed, non-state factions.

In a press conference held at the party’s headquarters in Saifi, Gemayel said the Lebanese people are trapped in a state of paralysis, unable to join other nations in their pursuit of development, prosperity, and technological advancement. The reason, he claimed, is clear: an armed group with regional and ideological allegiances, operating independently from the state, continues to hold the country hostage.

“No country can be built under the shadow of an armed force that operates beyond the authority of the state,” he said, in a clear reference to Hezbollah. “We elected a president, formed a government, but everything remains crippled. Tourists are afraid to come. Ministries cannot function without foreign investment, and that investment won’t come under the threat of weapons.”

Gemayel stressed that weapons have never offered Lebanon protection. In fact, he argued, they invited further destruction.

“The so-called resistance has not prevented Israel from assassinating its leaders, destroying the South, or occupying Lebanese territory. Weapons have only made Lebanon more vulnerable,” he said.

Gemayel also addressed claims that the Syrian conflict justifies Hezbollah’s arsenal in Lebanon. While acknowledging the “horrific and disturbing” nature of what’s happening in Syria, he emphasized that it does not pose a credible threat to Lebanon’s sovereignty.

“Syria is mired in civil war. It can’t control its own territory, including Sweida. If, God forbid, anyone tries to cross into Lebanon, we have an army that has proven its strength. The Lebanese youth are ready to serve as the Army’s backup,” he said.

He called on the Lebanese state to assert itself by enforcing the law against anyone possessing illegal weapons, and to raid all known weapons caches.

“No one has a legal license to own a gun in Lebanon,” he declared. “It’s time to close this chapter and open a new one.”

Gemayel stressed that the government’s ministerial statement no longer offers cover or legitimacy for Hezbollah’s weapons, as it may have done in the past. He demanded the dissolution of the so-called joint security committee between Hezbollah and the Lebanese Army and the removal of all associated facilitation measures.

“Tom Barrack came and left more than once. Morgan Ortagus came and left more than once. They did stage-managing with many missteps. We are not a laboratory. We are not part of Greater Syria. We are Lebanon, a sovereign and independent country.”

To the Lebanese people, he said: “Don’t let the propaganda out of Syria scare you. No one can protect Lebanon’s pluralism and diversity except the Lebanese state and its army.”

Gemayel said the recent parliamentary session provided a rare moment of consensus, with over 90% of MPs agreeing that weapons must be exclusively in the hands of the Lebanese Army.

“This wasn’t political theater. It was a parliamentary acknowledgment of the people’s will, across all sects.”

He called on the government to take this acknowledgment as a mandate to fulfill promises made in the president’s oath and the ministerial statement.

“We are in a race with the world, but Lebanon is stuck at the starting line while other countries speed ahead, implementing AI, e-governance, and economic reforms.”

Gemayel said the narrative that Hezbollah’s weapons are needed to liberate Lebanese land no longer holds.

“Weapons have never protected Lebanon. Before the so-called ‘support front’ was opened, there was no Israeli soldier here. Weapons didn’t prevent assassinations or occupation. They were the reason for them.”

“Weapons are not the answer to liberation. They are the reason Lebanon remains paralyzed. We are being dragged backward while the world moves forward.”

He called on the state to prevent any actor from bringing the Syrian conflict into Lebanon, including those affiliated with Hezbollah.

“No one has the right to say, ‘Bring the weapons, let’s go fight,’" he warned. "Either we’re a sovereign state, or we’re not a state at all.”

Gemayel said it’s time to restore the dignity of the state.

“Anyone threatening national unity or violating the law, whether by inciting violence or carrying weapons, must be held accountable. That’s how we build a state.”

The state, he said, must begin raids on illegal weapons caches.

“That’s how we prove we are a functioning country. No one has a blank check to carry arms on Lebanese soil.”

Gemayel also raised concerns about Hezbollah’s parallel economy.

“Is it acceptable that there is an economic system operating outside state control?” he asked, referring to Hezbollah’s financial arm, Al-Qard al-Hassan.

He said the group’s economic activity sustains an underground economy and exposes Lebanon to sanctions and military retaliation.

“We must shut down these illegal systems,” he said.

Gemayel concluded by stating that the disarmament of Hezbollah is not a foreign demand, but a Lebanese one.

“We’ve been calling for this for 30 years. We want a functioning country, not to please the Americans or the Israelis, but so we can live.”

He said the presence of weapons keeps Lebanon on a perpetual path of destruction.

“As long as there are weapons outside state control, Israel will keep targeting Hezbollah vehicles and locations. We’ll spend another decade this way.”

Gemayel closed with a final message: “We are not a failed state. We are Lebanon, a nation with 6,000 years of civilization and one of the most creative people on Earth. We deserve a real country. But for that, we must take responsibility, and others must treat us accordingly.”