Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel expressed strong support for ongoing protests in Iran, denouncing the Iranian regime’s use of citizens’ wealth to finance regional proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.

In a post on X, Gemayel described the Iranian people as engaged in a “historic struggle: a fight for freedom, for human rights, especially women’s rights, for democracy, and for dignity.

He added that the movement is also “a fight against poverty, obscurantism, and the daily violence imposed by a brutal ideology,” as well as “the systematic diversion of Iran’s national wealth to finance regional destabilization instead of serving the Iranian people.”

Gemayel particularly condemned the Iranian regime’s support for Hezbollah, writing that the protests are “above all, a fight against the use of Iranian citizens’ money to fund Hezbollah in Lebanon, and against the exploitation of Lebanese territory and Lebanese lives to shield the Iranian regime from any external threat.”

The Kataeb leader accused Hezbollah of exerting undue influence over Lebanon for more than two decades, asserting that the group has “hijacked my country … through political assassinations, armed takeovers of Beirut’s streets, the indoctrination of children, the intimidation of political opponents, and the deliberate obstruction of elections and constitutional processes.” He described Lebanon as “a hostage, sacrificed to protect a foreign regime and an ideology that does not reflect the will of either the Lebanese or the Iranian people.”

“I stand with the brave women and men fighting for freedom in Iran. I hope they finally win their country back, and that we Lebanese, across all sects, will finally be able to put Lebanon first, live together in peace and brotherhood and build a real partnership that serves Lebanon’s interests and the wellbeing of our people, all our people," Gemayel concluded.