Gemayel Urges Hezbollah to Break Free from Iran’s Control

No sovereignty with Militia rule

Lebanese Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel warned that Iran’s policy has been fueling instability across the Middle East and accused Tehran of “seizing” Lebanon through Hezbollah, whose presence as an armed faction he described as a major obstacle to reform, investment, and international support.

Speaking in a wide-ranging interview on Hala Arabia , Gemayel said the Iranian regime’s conduct is destabilizing the region through its insistence on the nuclear program. He argued that weakening Iran would compel its regional proxies, notably Hezbollah, to reconsider their strategies.

Gemayel said the current Iran-Israel war was a delayed inevitability.

“What’s happening today has been postponed for 10 years,” he said. “Iran’s conduct has led to this instability despite all the Western efforts and negotiations. The October 7 events marked a breaking point.”

“As Lebanese, our primary concern is Iran’s behavior in Lebanon and its interference in our internal affairs,” he said. “And I think the word ‘interference’ is too soft. What we’re really dealing with is Iran’s seizure of Lebanon via Hezbollah.”

Gemayel renewed his call for a "conference of truth and reconciliation” between Lebanese factions to open a new page and restore national unity.

“We want to resolve the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons peacefully,” he said. “But at the same time, we will not accept to live under the shadow of any weapons outside the framework of the state.”

“What we want is for the Shiite community in Lebanon to be a true partner with us in building the Lebanon of tomorrow.”

Gemayel urged Hezbollah to break freen from Iranian influence, accusing Tehran of exploiting the group for war.

“I doubt Hezbollah’s base still believes in supporting Iran,” he said. “There hasn’t been a single protest to denounce Israel’s bombing of Tehran.”

The Kataeb leader pointed to the absence of mass mobilizations as evidence of shifting sentiment.

“All we saw were reactions from maybe a hundred or two hundred people on motorcycles. Where are the massive crowds that used to show up at every event?” he asked. “Hezbollah’s supporters saw what Iran did when the war was turned on it, and compared that to how little it did when they were being exterminated in Lebanon. This could pave the way for a Lebanese Shiite rebellion against Iran’s grip and against being used as pawns.”

“All we want is for the Shiite community to feel secure in its relationship with other Lebanese, and we as Lebanese have a duty to embrace, honor, and empower them. Their future must be built alongside the rest of us.”

Gemayel called on Shiites to feel confident in the Lebanese state and its institutions.

“Lebanon is your country. We don’t want any harm to come to you. What affects you affects us,” he said, emphasizing the need to dismantle parallel power structures and bring all armed actors under state authority.

He warned that if Hezbollah refuses peaceful consensus, the responsibility for alternative scenarios falls to President Joseph Aoun.

“The President sets the 'Plan B' if Hezbollah refuses peaceful agreement. We are doing our part by proposing ideas, but the responsibility lies with the President and the Prime Minister.”

Gemayel noted that President Joseph Aoun is trying to resolve the disarmament issue diplomatically but warned time is running out.

“There are urgent reform deadlines, financial obligations, and international investment opportunities. If the issue of Hezbollah’s arms is not addressed, we risk losing all of this.”

Commenting on judicial appointments, Gemayel criticized political interference, particularly by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

“If we truly care about the independence of the judiciary, political forces must not interfere,” he said.

“If others were interfering, you might have a case. But they’re not,” Gemayel said in a direct address to Berri. “Even though the Justice Minister represents the Kataeb's share in the government, we haven't made any demands or appointed any judge affiliated with us. So no one has the right to impose their choices.”

He questioned how judges could maintain independence if appointed by political figures.

“How can a judge be impartial if they’re handpicked by a political patron?” he asked.

Gemayel highlighted progress in the judiciary under Minister Adel Nassar, including resuming the Beirut Port blast investigation, completing judicial appointments stalled for five years, and establishing a trial center in Roumieh Prison to fast-track cases.

He emphasized the need to pass the judicial independence law, which the cabinet recently approved after it had been shelved for seven years.

Gemayel praised his party’s relations with both Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and President Aoun.

“Our relationship with Prime Minister Salam is excellent, and even more so with President Aoun,” he said.

He blamed the continued existence of Hezbollah’s weapons for blocking promised foreign aid.

“Aid hasn’t come so far because the weapons are still there.”

Asked whether Hezbollah was stalling for time in hopes of favorable regional developments, Gemayel replied, “No doubt the party thinks that way. But the masters of stalling are the Iranians as they specialize in it. They’ll take three years just to weave a carpet. But even they can’t escape a military strike. You can't trick people for so long.”

He reiterated his advice to Hezbollah: “Turn the page voluntarily, engage with your fellow Lebanese. I’m ready to meet you halfway in reconciliation. Let’s solve this peacefully. We don’t want conflict, but we won’t live under weapons outside state control.”

On whether Hezbollah can act independently from Iran, Gemayel said the group must rebel.

“When you realize someone is exploiting you, sending you to die, then throwing you away without defending or protecting you, isn’t it natural to rebel?”

Gemayel argued that weakening Iran would reduce Hezbollah’s defiance.

"As long as Iran is powerful and can fund, arm, and motivate Hezbollah, it won’t disarm. But if Iran weakens, its allies will reconsider every step.”

Turning to the broader political landscape, Gemayel said Lebanon is caught between the desire for a rule-of-law state and the reality of a corrupt, patronage-based system.

“We need to decide: do we want to live in a failed state or move toward something new?”

Asked whether the Kataeb Party is the “spoiled child” of the new presidency, he replied, “That’s a big statement. But yes, we supported Joseph Aoun from the start. Historically, the Kataeb has supported the presidency until that changed during the Syrian occupation and then the Iranian tutelage when Hezbollah began appointing the president.”

He contrasted that with the current president, who he said is “free of foreign allegiance, elected by the Lebanese, and puts Lebanon’s interests first.”

Turning to Syria, Gemayel said the bombing of Mar Elias Church in Damascus was “a targeted attack on President Ahmad al-Sharaa’s rule. It tarnishes his image, relationships, and everything he’s trying to do to reestablish diplomatic ties and bring in funds for Syria’s reconstruction.”

Asked to categorize several local and international leaders as either "black" or "white," Gemayel said U.S. President Donald Trump is white.

"I don’t like wooden language. He broke taboos. His priority is his country. Under his term, Lebanon regained part of its sovereignty.”

On Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, “Black because he destroyed my country.”

“If Hezbollah didn’t exist, Israel wouldn’t have attacked Lebanon. But that doesn’t make Netanyahu white. Thousands of people died.”

On Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Gemayel said, “Black because he used Lebanon without regard for life or for the Shiite community.”

By contrast, he described Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as “bright white.”

“He’s modernizing the kingdom, opening it up, fighting extremism, pushing tech innovation, and putting his people’s wellbeing first. And toward Lebanon, he’s shown only goodwill.”

On President Joseph Aoun, he said, “Definitely white. He’s dear to our hearts.”

On Prime Minister Salam: “Bright white.”

On Speaker Berri, Gemayel said it’s important to distinguish between him and Hezbollah.

“Berri has a Lebanese agenda, even if we don’t agree with his style. He’s not a soldier in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. The Amal Movement is not a religious extremist group. We have issues with how he manages parliament and aligns with Hezbollah, but he has tried to reduce the burden on Lebanon.”

Regarding Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Gemayel said, “He’s a mystery. What’s his vision for Syria? His foreign policy? His stance on Lebanon? We don’t know yet."