Lebanon’s most prominent Christian party leader, Samir Geagea, on Wednesday, appealed to Hezbollah to give up arms now and end the present war with Israel to prevent any further destruction of Lebanon.

Geagea, an ex-militant and strong Iran-backed Hezbollah critic, made his appeal in an interview Thursday with Reuters about how Hezbollah’s activities have unleashed devastating destruction on Lebanese infrastructure and civilians.

Appeal for the War’s End

From his headquarters in Maarab, north of Beirut, Geagea, speaking from a telephone interview, said the militarization of Hezbollah was moving Lebanon closer to the war that may destroy it. He says that the armed presence on the grounds by Hezbollah is the reason Israel’s aggressive military strikes laid waste to large parts of the country. Geagea stated that the demolition was doing much harm as it destroyed Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, saying, “With the destruction of all of Hezbollah’s infrastructure and its warehouses, a big part of Lebanon is also being destroyed.”

He said that by raining rockets at Israel for Hamas, Hezbollah declared war against Lebanon on 7th October, thus opening the Gaza war. Geagea claims that by declaring this war single-handedly, Hezbollah has taken Lebanon into a new war and that if it disarms, Lebanon will not be destroyed anymore.

The Road to Peace: Geagea’s Leap for Lebanon

He insisted that local and international accords be implemented right away, mainly disarming armed groups outside the Lebanese state’s control. “That is the shortest way to end the war; it is the least costly way for Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” he said.

He also surmised that perhaps this was another chance for stabilizing Lebanon. “If the challenges and the prices paid are so big, then we can take advantage of them to get the situation back to normal,” he added.

Fragile Political Landscape of Lebanon

Lebanon is a sectarian state; politics functions by power-sharing among religious groups. Such division led to one of the most devastating conflicts of the 20th century, the civil war in Lebanon from 1975 to 1990, killing around 150,000 people. Geagea’s party, the Lebanese Forces, was one of the primary militias in the civil war and an affiliated faction of Israel, especially in the period of Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Geagea dismissed that history, saying the current situation was different and at risk of civil war only if Hezbollah disarmed. The displacement of thousands of mostly Shi’ite Lebanese into Sunni and Christian-majority areas stands to ignite tensions inside Lebanon’s tenuous social textiles. More than 1.2 million people have fled southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut’s southern suburbs due to Israeli airstrikes.

More:Israeli Airstrikes in Damascus Leave 15 Dead: Targeted Military Sites and Islamic Jihad Headquarters

 The Escalating War and the Israeli Tactical Plan

Israeli forces have stepped up their raids into southern Lebanon, threatening the strongholds of Hezbollah and curtailing some of the rocket attacks that Israelis endure at the hands of Lebanon. But Geagea countered that this boast by Hezbollah of keeping the Israelis off its back is virtually unimaginable. He proved the argument by giving an example that the tactical plan currently in use by the Israeli army is to move to the area, carry out operations, and leave that area afterward, sowing vast destruction. He warned that the next level of the conflict would most likely result in a greater penetration of Lebanon, targeting the villages further away from the border.

In addition, Geagea said Hezbollah’s chances of re-armament and the arms race with Israel were feeble. “Do you have the capability to enter this arms race?” he asked, making it quite clear that military and economic power will always favor Israel over Hezbollah.

Conclusion: Looking into the Future of Lebanon

This is still an active war; thus, the fate of that country remains uncertain. Geagea still sticks to his guns: Hezbollah needs to disarm, and resolutions ought to be implemented so that militias come under the command of the state. Since these two parties have their pride and can not step down, it is hard to find some easy way to peace.