Lebanon's Patriarch: Hezbollah must surrender weapons after state asserts monopoly on arms

Al Arabiya

15 hours ago

Lebanon's top Christian cleric escalated his criticism of Hezbollah on Tuesday, saying the Iran-backed group has no right to keep its arsenal after the government decided that only the state can bear arms.
Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai said there is now a rare political consensus to strip all weapons from groups outside the Lebanese Armed Forces.
'This is the first time there is consensus among the president, the parliament speaker, and the prime minister to monopolize weapons under state control. This brings peace to Lebanon. No one can live without peace,' Rai told Al Arabiya in an interview.
His comments come after months of cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israel that devastated southern Lebanon and large swathes of the country's capital and Bekaa Valley and displaced tens of thousands.
The Lebanese government announced this month that it would enforce a monopoly on arms, a move condemned by Iran, Hezbollah's main backer.
Rai said Hezbollah's credibility as an armed 'resistance' had collapsed once the state asserted its exclusive authority. 'We cannot accept one person, the secretary-general [of Hezbollah], to decide war and peace. The constitution says this is a government decision,' he said.
The patriarch accused Tehran of undermining Lebanon's sovereignty. 'Iran crosses red lines because it stands with one side in Lebanon, the Shia sect and Hezbollah. It cannot give weapons to one side. This is blatant aggression and intervening in domestic affairs,' he said.
Rai said he would not visit Tehran right now, citing its 'bad policies,' revealing that he turned down a previous invitation just over four years ago to visit Iran.
Rai urged Hezbollah to embrace its Lebanese identity and stop taking directions from Tehran. 'You are Lebanese. Live as Lebanese and don't look to Iran like you used to,' he said, adding that the Shia of Lebanon 'were present in government and parliament long before the resistance' and that their political role does not depend on weapons.
The patriarch recalled comments by Hezbollah's former secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah, that the group receives its money, food, weapons and directions from Iran. 'Then how are you a Lebanese citizen? You are Lebanese, just like me. But you need to pledge allegiance to the Lebanese state, not Tehran.'
He dismissed warnings of another civil war as 'an exaggeration,' saying no one was prepared to start another civil war and that the Lebanese people were fed up with constant wars since 1975. 'No one wants war anymore.'
The patriarch also addressed Lebanon's fraught relationship with Israel, ruling out normalization for now but leaving the door open in the future. 'In the future, when there is no danger to Lebanon, why wouldn't there be a deal?'
He acknowledged Israeli aspirations to expand its borders and create the 'Kingdom of David,' but said a strong Lebanese state that asserted its sovereignty over all its territory was the best way to prevent that from happening.
Despite his sharp criticism, Rai said dialogue with Hezbollah remains open. 'We still have ongoing dialogue with Hezbollah, and we are honest with them. Bkerki will not sugarcoat, it will speak for the interests of Lebanon,' he said.