The U.S. and Israeli bombings of Iran earlier this year were devastating to its theocratic dictatorship and were key to helping destabilize its proxy force in Lebanon known as Hezbollah.
But the goal of a truly free and safe Lebanon will remain elusive so long as the Iranian regime remains in power, according to one of the key Lebanese political leaders. Samy Gemayel, chairman of the nationalist Kataeb Party, told Newsmax in a recent interview, "The head of the snake is Iran. Iran is still the problem [for Lebanon]."
"Iran is destabilizing and standing in the way of Middle Eastern peace," said Gemayel, whose grandfather Pierre founded Kataeb in 1936. "So I think that so long as the regime is what it is in Iran, it will continue to destabilize the region — through Hezbollah, through Hezbollah in Iraq, through Hamas [in Gaza], and through the Houthis in Yemen."
Gemayel, whose party will compete in Lebanese elections next May, agreed that "Hezbollah was weakened, but it's not over yet. Hezbollah still has 30% of its capabilities to inflict death."
Long the dominant player in Lebanese politics, Hezbollah suffered a major blow when its leader Hassan Nasrallah — a close associate of Iran's regime — was killed in an Israeli attack on his headquarters in September of 2024. Subsequent bombings this year weakened Hezbollah to a point that the Lebanese government of President Joseph Aoun is now overseeing disarmament of its remaining members.
"We are now working actively to finish this disarmament because the disarmament of Hezbollah and any other armed militia in Lebanon is the condition for us to move forward," Gemayel said. "It's the condition for us to have a state of law and make investments and to start to move forward with our economy."
But he quickly added that the disarmament was by no means complete.
"We've taken a huge step forward, but we're not there yet," said Gemayel.
"The government of Lebanon is no longer controlled by Hezbollah. This is very good news, and their capabilities are diminished, but it's still not over yet."
As for President Donald Trump and his role in the Middle East, Gemayel said, "I think that no one is actually doing more in regard to Middle Eastern peace that Donald Trump. He's the one that is really pushing to make it happen."
"We needed a [U.S.] president who actually had the courage to say we have to end this century of conflicts and violence in the Middle East. I hope he will be able to achieve this … We are grateful for all the attention this president has given Lebanon and the Middle East."
Gemayel and his family have been pivotal players in Lebanese politics for nearly a century. His father Amine Gemayel became president of Lebanon in 1982 following the assassination of his brother Bachir Gemayel 20 days after his election as president.
Samy Gemayel's older brother Pierre, a Cabinet minister, was assassinated in 2006 almost certainly at the hands of Hezbollah.
Often likened to John F. Kennedy as a leader whose promise was cut short, Bachir Gemayel's slogan in 1982 was "10,452 Square Kilometers" — a reference to the size of his country and his vision of it to be free of foreign influence.
Samy Gemayel addressed the possibility of reclaiming that vision of tomorrow's Lebanon.
"We're not there yet, and we have work to do, but we are going there," he replied. "We will keep on pushing until we achieve the dream of Bachir, which is a free and independent country."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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