Hassan Fadlallah, a member of Hezbollah’s “Loyalty to the Resistance” parliamentary bloc, urged on Tuesday that Lebanon’s parliamentary elections be held on schedule, warning against foreign efforts to delay the vote.

“We want the elections to happen on time, without any extensions or postponements,” Fadlallah said. “But there are outside forces trying to push for a delay. They think our political landscape will weaken over the next year, that reconstruction will stall, and that a potential U.S. strike on Iran could give them an advantage. Their goal is to shape a parliament that reflects the new balance of power after the Israeli war, even if that comes at the expense of constitutional deadlines, the credibility of the presidency, and the government’s policy agenda.”

Fadlallah added that some foreign actors view a one-year postponement as a chance to challenge the exclusive parliamentary representation of Lebanon’s Shiite political duo.

“They believe that if the elections are held on time, they won’t be able to change this balance,” he said. “That’s why they see no way to alter the internal political equation over the next four years.”