Samir Geagea (Lebanese Forces) to AFP: Hezbollah must disarm and hand its weapons to the Lebanese state (8 October 2025)

In an interview with Agence France-Presse on Tuesday, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea said that the Iran-backed Hezbollah […] must learn from Hamas's experience in Gaza and hand over its weapons to the Lebanese state as soon as possible.

Geagea stated that Hezbollah has run out of options, noting that the party "can neither accept nor reject a decision taken by the state." He added, "Party officials are currently grandstanding. Frankly, I don't quite understand what they're doing. Even more frankly, I didn't understand the so-called 'support war,' whose outcome was clear from the start. Most of all, I didn't understand the war of 7 October — what logic drove such steps?"

When asked whether he feared internal conflict if Hezbollah refused to disarm, Geagea dismissed the notion. "It would be a mistake to talk about civil war," he explained. "Civil war happens when factions within a country clash over an issue. But in this case, the state is the reference point. There's no internal conflict with the state. If anyone defies it, the state must act firmly to resolve the issue — or it ceases to be a state."

Geagea said Hezbollah's current behavior places it outside the political process. "By logic, and by all recent developments, it would be perfectly natural for the party to hand over its weapons to the Lebanese Army, the only legitimate authority over arms, and then engage fully in political life," he said.

[… …] Geagea also stressed that the decision to disarm ultimately lies with Iran. "Although we still consider Hezbollah a Lebanese faction that should make its own choices, in practice, Iran created it, arms it, funds it, and controls its logistics," he said. "Therefore, the decision rests with Iran — but this must end."

He accused Hezbollah of wasting 35 years of the Lebanese people's lives […]. "The Lebanese are now seeing gradual economic improvement for one simple reason: the party and its corrupt allies have lost their grip on state institutions," he said.

Commenting on regional tensions, Geagea said that while an Israeli offensive cannot be ruled out, such threats do not justify Hezbollah's possession of unauthorized weapons. "A true state can only exist when all arms are under its control — regardless of whether Israel decides to escalate or not," he said. [… …] "Disarmament is essential," he said. "Without it, the state will cease to exist, and Lebanon risks losing its Arab, European, and American allies."