A senior Lebanese lawmaker has issued one of the clearest public challenges yet to Hezbollah’s grip on Lebanon, declaring that the country cannot continue to coexist with an armed organization that controls war, peace and national decision-making.

In an interview with the Lebanese news site This Is Beirut, Kataeb MP Elias Hankach said Hezbollah cannot bring down the Lebanese government and challenged the terror organization to leave the cabinet if it rejects the government’s direction. His message was blunt: Lebanon must return security authority to the state, place all weapons under the exclusive control of the Lebanese Army and end the era in which Hezbollah operates as a state within a state.

Hankach also called for Lebanon to act boldly in pursuit of its national interests, including direct peace talks with Israel. His remarks reflect a growing trend inside Lebanon: more public figures are saying openly that Hezbollah’s weapons, Iranian influence and endless wars have destroyed Lebanon’s sovereignty and isolated it from the region.