If Iran manages to convince America to directly link Lebanon to the emerging US-Iran peace deal, that will be seen by everyone in the Middle East as a clear victory for the Islamic Republic. That was the warning issued by the heads of Lebanon’s Christian political parties to US President Donald Trump.
Samy Gemayel, head of the Kataeb Party, told Lebanese media this week that there can be no peace in Lebanon “as long as the weapons of the militias [Hezbollah and other Shiite groups] are on our land.”
The problem, as Gemayel indirectly pointed out, is not Israel’s military operations or presence in southern Lebanon. Most Lebanese, and certainly its Christian population, known that Israel has no territorial designs on their country.
The head of Lebanon’s Kataeb Party, Samy Gemayel:
We will not coexist with Hezbollah regardless of the outcome of the negotiations. We will not coexist with this militia and its weapons.
Hezbollah must abide by the state’s conditions. Most Lebanese are not prepared to live as… pic.twitter.com/78y7QfZzre
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) June 23, 2026
The problem is the presence of Iran-backed forces that the Lebanese government dares not confront directly. “We will not coexist with Hezbollah,” insisted Gemayel. “Whatever the result of the talks taking place outside Lebanon, we will not accept the existence of this militia.”
Lebanon’s time of suffering must come to an end, he stressed. And Gemayel said that suffering is the product of Iranian interference.
“The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the United States and Iran has nothing to do with Lebanon,” he added. “What Iran is trying to do through the agreement is to protect its people in Lebanon, not Lebanon.”
Samir Gagea, head of the Lebanese Christian Forces Party, wrote an open letter to US Vice President JD Vance on behalf of Christians in Lebanon, urging him to sever any connection between Iran and Lebanon in the ongoing US-Iran negotiations.
Gagea called on the US to strengthen the institutions of the Lebanese state, rather than facilitate Iran’s continued interference in Lebanese affairs.
سعادة نائب رئيس الولايات المتحدة الأميركية
السيد جاي دي فانس @JDVance المحترم،
تحية طيبة وبعد،اطّلعت باهتمام وتقدير على تصريحكم الذي عبّرتم فيه عن مودّتكم واهتمامكم بمسيحيي لبنان، فرأيت، بصفتي رئيس حزب “القوات اللبنانية”، أكبر حزب مسيحي في لبنان، أن أتوجّه إليكم بهذه الرسالة…
— Samir Geagea (@DrSamirGeagea) June 22, 2026
Permitting Iran to continue to wield influence in Lebanon will render pointless the peace talks Washington is attempting to facilitate between Israel and Lebanon, and will perpetuate the conflict between the two neighbors. Hezbollah exists only as a tool of Iran’s quest to destroy Israel.
Want more news from Israel?
Click Here to sign up for our FREE daily email updates
