Lebanon stands at a defining crossroads – one that will shape its sovereignty, stability, and very survival as a nation. The decision before the country is stark: reclaim the monopoly on legitimate force or resign itself to a slow, irreversible erosion of the state. At the center of this crisis lies Hezbollah’s arsenal – a parallel military structure that operates beyond government control, answers to an external command hierarchy, and holds enough influence to veto national decisions at will.

For decades, Hezbollah has justified its weapons under the banner of “resistance,” first framed as a necessary shield against Israeli aggression. In the 1980s and 1990s, this narrative resonated with many Lebanese, particularly as the group played a role in ending Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. Yet that justification has long expired. What began as a defensive posture has morphed into a political and military apparatus that holds the Lebanese state hostage, subverts democratic institutions, and serves as an instrument of a foreign power’s regional strategy. Today, Hezbollah’s weapons no longer safeguard Lebanon – they safeguard Hezbollah’s power to dictate Lebanon’s future.

The foundation of any sovereign state rests on its exclusive monopoly over the use of force. In Lebanon, this principle is broken. Hezbollah maintains its own arsenal, operates under a command structure independent of the Lebanese Armed Forces, and possesses the unilateral authority to wage war or broker peace without state approval. This dual security system corrodes the very concept of sovereignty. One security force is accountable to the Lebanese people through the imperfect mechanisms of democratic governance. The other is accountable to non-Lebanese actors, deriving legitimacy from an ideology and an external agenda that often diverge from Lebanon’s national interest.

As long as Hezbollah retains its weapons, Lebanon’s sovereignty remains........

© Blitz