MP Elias Hankach on Friday called on Hezbollah and its supporters to acknowledge a shifting regional and internal landscape, urging the group to abandon its weapons in favor of a renewed commitment to national sovereignty and state-building.

In an interview with Al Jadeed TV, the Kataeb Party lawmaker drew a clear distinction between Hezbollah’s stubborn stance on its arms and the more cautious approach taken by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, suggesting the latter may be open to dialogue and gradual reform.

"The train of state-building has left the station, and those who want to remain on motorcycles can stay behind," Hankach said, alluding to Hezbollah’s militia-style street actions. “We’re aware of the pressures, but both the President and the Prime Minister are working to repair what has been destroyed, through weapons control and reforms.”

He underscored that the recent governmental push to consolidate arms under state authority and initiate political and economic reforms marked a crucial opportunity.

"This is a serious chance to build a sovereign state that exercises authority over all of its territory, with full political backing for the Lebanese Army," he said. "We fully support the Army to defend our country from any aggression."

Hankach added that true statehood rests on three pillars: disarmament, judicial independence, and economic reform.

"The main obstacle to rebuilding Lebanon remains the presence of weapons outside the framework of Lebanese legitimacy," he warned.

Addressing Hezbollah’s support base directly, Hankach said the group’s arsenal had brought destruction, not protection.

“This weapon has not served the country. On the contrary, it has destroyed it,” he said. “Rebuilding Lebanon must be a collective effort that includes everyone.”

He criticized what he described as a lack of honest dialogue between Hezbollah’s leadership and its followers.

“The leadership knows very well that Syria and its regime no longer serve as a supply bridge, that Iran is negotiating with the so-called ‘Great Satan,’ and that Hezbollah’s military capabilities are not what they used to be.”

Hankach called on Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem to adopt a more pragmatic tone.

“He should act with wisdom and say: ‘We want to help rebuild this state.’ This is the moment to stop escalating and start contributing to the future of Lebanon.”

Hankach concluded by affirming that the Lebanese people want a state “for all its children, not a state of one group against another.”