The American Task Force on Lebanon (ATFL), a prominent Lebanese-American advocacy group based in Washington, warned Lebanese leaders on Tuesday that U.S. attention and support could erode further without tangible progress on Hezbollah’s disarmament and long-delayed reforms, as the threat of a new regional war grows.

In a statement, the organization urged Beirut to take immediate steps to restore state authority, advance banking reforms and protect the country from being drawn into another devastating conflict, warning that Lebanon cannot afford to wait for Israel or other regional actors to make the first move.

“Lebanon cannot afford to wait for Israel, the United States or Hezbollah to act before it takes its own measures to restore sovereignty and protect its population,” the ATFL said.

The group’s warning came as tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran raised concerns that Lebanon could once again pay the price for a conflict shaped by decisions made beyond its borders.

Washington’s patience is wearing thin

The ATFL warned that the absence of concrete results from Lebanon was weakening Washington’s willingness to devote attention and support to the country.

“In the absence of visible results from Lebanon, American investment in terms of attention and support is eroding,” the organization said.

The group urged Lebanese authorities to move forward with Hezbollah’s disarmament without making progress conditional on reciprocal Israeli steps. While acknowledging Lebanon’s legitimate demands over the Israeli occupation, cease-fire violations and the need for an independent mechanism to verify both sides’ commitments, it cautioned that waiting for complete reciprocity could leave the country vulnerable to developments beyond its control.

“Waiting for perfect reciprocity risks leaving Lebanon at the mercy of events it will not be able to control in the coming weeks,” the ATFL warned.

It called for the consolidation of initial pilot zones by eliminating all Hezbollah presence, expanding the Lebanese army’s deployment to Beirut and areas north of the Litani River, and continuing negotiations over an Israeli withdrawal.

The organization stressed that restoring state authority must not be confined to southern Lebanon, but must ultimately establish a state monopoly on weapons across the country.

It also called for a clear timetable, defined responsibilities and verifiable results, arguing that Lebanese commitments must translate into concrete action.

Banking reforms and explosives case add to pressure

Beyond security, the ATFL urged Lebanese leaders to end the obstruction of banking reforms, which it described as essential to economic recovery and efforts to curb Hezbollah’s illicit financing networks.

The group also called for judicial proceedings in the case involving a recent seizure of explosives allegedly linked to Hezbollah to be pursued to completion. The case was raised by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a phone call with President Joseph Aoun.

The ATFL’s appeal comes amid concern that a new confrontation between Washington, Israel and Tehran could draw Hezbollah into another war, with potentially devastating consequences for Lebanon.

The organization acknowledged that the Lebanese state’s ability to prevent such a scenario could be limited if Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps demanded Hezbollah’s intervention.

ATFL calls on Aoun, Salam and Berri to act

Addressing Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri directly, the ATFL urged the president and prime minister to present a coherent national strategy that could be implemented immediately.

It called on Berri to remove legislative obstacles to essential reforms, stressing that Lebanon must take responsibility for its own future rather than remain dependent on decisions made by outside actors.

“Lebanon cannot delegate its future to decisions made by others,” the organization said.