Lebanese Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel said Lebanon was at a critical juncture after decades of Syrian occupation and Iranian and Hezbollah hegemony, calling for political courage and concrete action to enforce State authority and restore sovereignty.

Speaking at a dinner hosted by the Kataeb's Second Sector in the Metn District, Gemayel said rebuilding the State would require more than political decisions, with those decisions needing to be translated into action.

Gemayel said the Kataeb Party has given its confidence to the current government based on commitments it had made, particularly its pledge to place all weapons under State control.

He renewed his call for the government to immediately implement its decisions on the issue, rejecting what he described as half-measures and delays and saying the current situation amounted to “a state of emergency.”

“There is no future for Lebanon without restoring the State’s full authority over its territory and achieving equality among Lebanese,” Gemayel said.

He argued that resolving Lebanon’s economic crisis must begin by ending what he described as a duality between the legitimate and illegitimate sectors in weapons, security, the economy and electricity.

Everyone must be subject to the law and pay what they owe the state, he said.

Gemayel also linked Lebanon’s economic difficulties to the lack of stability and security, saying uncertainty drives away investment and forces Lebanese companies and skilled professionals to seek opportunities abroad.

He said the Kataeb’s plans for developing industry, agriculture, tourism, education and health could only be implemented after establishing a stable and sovereign State.

“We are not prepared, after everything we have been through over the past 50 years of wars, bloodshed, oppression, paralysis and bankruptcy, to strike a deal, postpone our problems and let our children live through what we lived through for 50 years,” Gemayel said.

“These 50 years must come to an end.”

Gemayel said the Kataeb would remain “the guarantor,” arguing that the party neither acts recklessly nor compromises or enters into settlements at the expense of its cause and the sacrifices made for it.

He called for strengthening the party’s presence and its local branches to help it navigate what he described as a decisive phase for Lebanon.