Christian Front in Lebanon: We will not submit to weapon blackmail; ISIS is a fabricated pretext to justify a mini-state

BEIRUT — The Christian Front in Lebanon held its regular meeting amid critical local and regional developments, during a sensitive national moment that demands bold positions and clear decisions, free from complacency or ambiguous stances. 

Facing this situation, the Front responsibly and transparently addressed sovereign, security, and national issues. It firmly rejected any hesitation or evasion in dealing with the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons and Palestinian factions operating outside the law, stating that political maneuvering has become a blatant cover for hijacking Lebanon’s sovereignty and obstructing the establishment of a functional state. 

The Front emphasized that Lebanon is being drained daily on all levels, while the entire region is repositioning itself under the ”New Middle East” project. Meanwhile, Lebanon remains trapped in the waiting room of regional axes, isolated and shackled by illegal weapons. 

Additionally, the Front viewed recent media reports about the discovery of cells of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Lebanon as nothing more than a repeated attempt by Hezbollah’s media and political allies to invent new justifications for its armed presence under the pretext of ”protecting the Shiite community.” 

The Front stressed that all Lebanese people, across all sects, stand behind the Lebanese Army and legitimate forces in confronting any real terrorism, not fabricated scenarios meant to justify Hezbollah’s ”state-within-a-state.”  

It noted that the ISIS narrative has lost credibility, especially since the group emerged and thrived under the watch of Iran’s regime and Bashar al-Assad’s Syria, as confirmed by international reports. 

The Front called for a united national effort to end the logic of armed dominance and to realign the country toward a sovereign, pluralistic, democratic and just state, not a fragmented mini-state.  

It renewed its demand for the Lebanese judiciary to act immediately against anyone threatening Lebanese lives with violence, regardless of their position or affiliation. 

The Front asserted that Lebanon has no future without exclusive state control over weapons, and any further delay in resolving this existential issue means the collapse of the republic and the erasure of the nation. 

“Sovereignty cannot be divided, and illegal weapons will not be our fate.
Lebanon is no one’s hostage, and we will not submit to blackmail, no matter who opposes it. The project of a real state is stronger than the illusion of a mini-state, and we will continue to raise our voices until full sovereignty is restored,” the Front concluded.