Kataeb Party MP Salim Sayegh on Friday condemned Israel’s recent strikes on southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs, warning that the attacks undermine the disarmament efforts led by President Joseph Aoun.

In an interview on OTV, Sayegh described the Israeli strikes as “unjustified” and a direct blow to the Lebanese army’s “responsible and inclusive” approach to disarming non-state actors in Lebanon.

“What happened was an act of aggression that is striking at the very heart of the strategy adopted by President Aoun. The Lebanese Army hadn't even been given enough time to begin dismantling the weapons at the targeted sites," Sayegh said. 

Sayegh reaffirmed his party’s support for Aoun’s gradual, non-violent roadmap to restoring state sovereignty and stability. He said Lebanon is now at a crossroads: either it resorts to force to disarm armed groups, or it continues backing the army’s institutional path, which seeks to achieve disarmament without triggering internal conflict.

On the issue of reconstruction in war-damaged areas of southern Lebanon, Sayegh stressed that aid should not be tied to Hezbollah’s disarmament.

“People in the south are citizens like everyone else. They deserve basic services and support regardless of their political leanings,” he said. “Linking reconstruction aid to disarmament is both punitive and unfair. While there’s a clear national desire to rebuild, international, especially American, pressure is holding things up over the weapons issue.”

Sayegh insisted the Lebanese Army, in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), is capable of addressing the weapons problem in the south.

Commenting on a recent army statement regarding the situation in the south, Sayegh stressed that political responsibility lies with the government, not the military.

“It is the government’s role to implement Resolution 1701 and oversee the security plan for the south,” he said. “The army answers to the executive authority. It doesn’t make policy. It’s the Cabinet that should meet, perhaps even convene the Higher Defense Council, to issue official positions and lodge complaints with the U.N.”

Sayegh also rejected speculation that the Israeli strikes were greenlit by the United States. Instead, he characterized them as a message from Israel to Washington amid growing diplomatic engagement between the U.S. and Iran.

“The timing of the strikes coincides with renewed U.S.-Iran negotiations and a regional tour by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who spoke of a new chapter in relations with Lebanon,” he said. “Iran had already signaled months ago, in a message to the U.N., its openness to Hezbollah’s integration into the Lebanese state and a potential weapons handover.”

He said these developments point to a broader divide within Iran: while the government seeks détente with Washington, the Revolutionary Guard remains intent on retaining leverage across the region until a more favorable nuclear deal is reached.

“Israel sees this U.S.-Iran thaw as a threat, especially now that Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity could produce more than ten nuclear bombs,” Sayegh said. “Israel will do everything it can to block any normalization between Washington and Tehran.”

While he acknowledged that Washington was likely briefed in advance of the Israeli strike, Sayegh said such actions are not explicitly authorized by the U.S., particularly in areas Israel considers critical to its national security, southern Syria, the West Bank, Gaza, Egypt’s Sinai, and Beirut.

Sayegh said the strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, just as arms smuggling and Hezbollah’s rearmament do.

“The Lebanese Army must continue its mission alongside UNIFIL to prevent such violations,” he said. “We need an official statement from the Lebanese government confirming that there are no weapons caches, military equipment, or arms manufacturing facilities in those areas. That would bolster our national stance and show the state is doing its job.”

On the broader question of Hezbollah’s weapons, Sayegh said disarmament could be closer than many expect.

“That’s the President’s position,” he said. “And if we can’t achieve that, how can we even think about holding parliamentary elections under the banner of a sovereign Lebanese state?”

Turning to recent elections and reforms, Sayegh said the Kataeb Party has introduced multiple legislative proposals, including one to overhaul expatriate voting and another to establish a small-district electoral system based on ‘one person, one vote.’

“We believe this is the fairest and most democratic model,” he said. “But to move forward, we need a serious national conversation.”