Lebanon must assert state authority over its entire territory and bring all weapons under official control, MP Elias Hankach said Wednesday, denouncing Hezbollah’s armed status and warning against Iranian influence in the country.

“There is no more room for procrastination or hesitation. The time has come for the Lebanese State to exercise full sovereignty over its territory,” Hankach said in an interview with Al-Mashhad.

He stressed that “the weapons that have brought Lebanon nothing but calamity and destruction must be in the hands of the Lebanese State alone.”

Hankach said the political decision has already been taken by a government representing the majority of Lebanese citizens, a step he described as long overdue. He added that President Joseph Aoun had clearly conveyed Lebanon’s position to Iranian envoy Ali Larijani, rejecting Tehran’s interference in internal affairs.

The Kataeb lawmaker criticized Hezbollah’s attempts to defy the government’s decisions, saying the party’s weapons have failed to provide deterrence against Israel, prevent assassinations, or assist civilians in Gaza.

“The Lebanese people stand behind the army, and the sole authority over war and peace must rest with the legitimate state,” he said. “It is no longer acceptable for any party to unilaterally drag Lebanon into reckless ventures that only bring ordeals and ruin.”

Hankach called for a clear national strategy, noting that President Aoun has sought to avoid confrontation with Hezbollah.

“If Hezbollah wants confrontation, let it be directed toward Israel, not against Lebanon’s internal legitimacy,” he said.

He recalled a speech by Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel in parliament urging all parliamentary blocs, including Speaker Nabih Berri, to take a firm stance on exclusive State control of arms.

“Even Berri has declared support for weapons being in the hands of the State,” Hankach said.

The MP warned that “10% of Lebanese cannot drag the remaining 90% into reckless adventures serving Iran’s agenda,” adding that negotiations over national security should not come at the expense of Lebanese lives. He said neither Hezbollah nor Iran has the right to dictate the country’s path.

“Any support for the Palestinian cause should be pursued through political and diplomatic means, not at the cost of destroying Lebanon,” he said.

He accused Hezbollah of acting as merely an Iranian proxy against Israel, citing the party’s late Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah who acknowledged fighters are “soldiers in the army of the Supreme Leader” supported by Iran.

“If Hezbollah acted as a Lebanese party, it would cooperate with the State instead of rebelling against it,” Hankach said.

Hankach added that the Lebanese people is weary of past experiences and that it is time for “serious steps toward state-building,” which he said can only happen through exclusive State control of weapons and ending the logic of a parallel statelet. He stressed that the moment presents an opportunity, with international support, to re-align Lebanon with the democratic world.

He reiterated that the Kataeb party has been confronting “the aberration of Hezbollah’s arms” for thirty years, emphasizing that these weapons have brought only disaster. Hezbollah, he said, must act with wisdom and help build a state inclusive of all communities, including Shiites and its own members.

“It must integrate under the constitution, the law, and State institutions, like all other Lebanese parties,” Hankach said. “Hezbollah is neither stronger nor greater than the State and cannot continue to operate as a statelet."