MP Elias Hankach said Sunday’s Israeli strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which killed a senior Hezbollah commander, may have been intended as a direct message to Iran, underscoring the need for Lebanon to safeguard its sovereignty and prevent its territory from becoming a stage for regional conflicts.

In an interview with Erem News, Hankach described the attack as a reminder that Lebanon must assert control over its own affairs.

“Given the nature of this assassination and the figure targeted, it’s possible Israel was sending a message to Iran,” Hankach said. “At the same time, the Lebanese people must speak up and ensure their country does not become a battlefield. Lebanon is not a mailbox for rivals to exchange messages.”

Hankach stressed that the Lebanese state, through its army and legitimate institutions, must enforce its authority to protect the country from spiraling into a conflict with unpredictable outcomes.

“The state’s sole interest today is to collect all uncontrolled weapons from militias and place them under its exclusive authority,” he said. “This is the only way to shield the country from a war whose beginning is known but whose end is uncertain.”

When asked whether the assassination involved coordination between Israel and the United States, Hankach emphasized that the priority should be enforcing the mechanisms of the ceasefire agreement.

“What matters is the ceasefire committee — the mechanism — which Israel must respect,” he said. “Israel must stop its attacks on Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Lebanese state must assert control over Hezbollah’s weapons, since it is clear the group takes orders from Iran.”

“This must end,” Hankach added. “And it will not end unless the state acts decisively to resolve the issue of Hezbollah’s arsenal.”

Looking ahead, Hankach said the government has only one viable course: implement the historic decisions made on August 5 and 7, which affirmed the state’s exclusive right to hold weapons and maintain national security.

“The government is expected to carry out this decision in the best way possible,” he said. “It would send a clear message to both the international community and the Lebanese people, helping to rebuild trust.”

“Our priority must be to restore the country,” he continued. “That cannot happen unless the state asserts control over every inch of Lebanese territory.”

He concluded by underscoring that decisions of war and peace must rest solely with the Lebanese state.

“There must be one authority that decides war and peace, and that authority is the Lebanese state,” Hankach said. “Any other path leaves Lebanon hostage to external conflicts.”