“This is the heart of the matter,” Gemayel told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. “No one should be counting on splits within the political leadership — not between the president and the prime minister. Those issues are being dealt with. The real question is simple: do we have a State or not? Will Hezbollah accept the authority of the State, or does it plan to stay above it?”

Gemayel said the Kataeb are working closely with Salam, President Joseph Aoun, and other ministers to uphold the rule of law, stressing that the issue is “much bigger than any isolated flare-up that might happen here or there.”

The Kataeb chief downplayed the recent dispute over lighting up Beirut’s Rawshe Rock, calling it secondary compared to the larger challenge posed by Hezbollah’s weapons.

“There may be occasional friction, but the State is moving forward, and it’s obvious there are far more important issues,” he said. “Our fight is about getting weapons under control, not about projecting images onto Rawshe Rock. We need to understand Hezbollah’s message and intentions, and the State must respond with with an iron fist,” he said.