Lebanon’s free and sovereign political forces convened at Maarab in a historic show of unity, declaring their full support for President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam — and issuing a landmark condemnation of Hezbollah’s unilateral wars waged on behalf of Tehran.

The gathering, the third in a series of Maarab conferences, brought together opposition parties and civil blocs who have long warned against the Iranian-backed militia’s grip on Lebanese decision-making. In their final statement, they accused Hezbollah of dragging the country into “what most closely resembles collective suicide” — a war that, they argue, was never authorized by any constitutional institution.

“Silence has become complicity, and equivocation has become partnership in collapse.”

— Maarab Conference Final Statement, 2026

The statement expressed unequivocal backing for the Lebanese state and its sovereign institutions, and called on the government to pursue both a domestic and international legal path to document war damages and seek full compensation from Iran — not from Lebanese taxpayers.

I A Record of Warnings Ignored

The assembled forces were at pains to establish a documented record of their prior warnings — proof, they argued, that the catastrophe was foreseeable and that responsibility lies squarely with Hezbollah and its Iranian patrons.

End of 2023
Hezbollah launches what it calls the “support for Gaza” operation, opening a second front along Lebanon’s southern border without any state authorization.
April 27, 2024 — Maarab 1
Opposition forces warn against the danger of dragging Lebanon into a war unrelated to its interests and demand implementation of UN Resolution 1701.
October 12, 2024 — Maarab 2
The same parties renew their call for full implementation of Resolutions 1559, 1680, and 1701 — all of which mandate disarmament of militias and the transfer of their weapons to the Lebanese Army.
March 2026 — Maarab 3
After their warnings went unheeded, the forces gather again — this time to assign responsibilities, demand accountability, and back the new state leadership.
From the Final Statement

“Today, ‘the Party’ continues its adventures in service of the Iranian agenda at the expense of the Lebanese state and the entire Lebanese people, plunging Lebanon into a war that most closely resembles collective suicide.”

“This decision did not emanate from constitutional institutions but was imposed by force of arms, constituting a fundamental violation of state sovereignty and the people’s right to self-determination.”

“The facts allow no interpretation: Had it not been for this unilateral decision, Lebanon would not have been dragged into a war between Israel and ‘the Party.’ Whoever opens the door to war must bear its full consequences.”

The statement noted that Lebanon had barely begun to recover from the consequences of Hezbollah’s 2023 escalation when the militia once again thrust the country into a comprehensive regional confrontation — this time under the stated pretext of avenging the Supreme Leader of Iran and defending the regime in Tehran.

“Lebanon has been targeted because it has been kidnapped,” the statement reads. “Its decision has been kidnapped, its sovereignty has been kidnapped, and it has been turned into an arena for others’ wars.”

II Assigning Responsibility

The opposition’s statement drew a sharp and deliberate distinction between two tiers of accountability — a framework designed to preempt any attempt to dilute or redistribute blame.

Political & Legal Responsibility
The Iranian Regime

Bears full international, political, and legal responsibility for directing and managing the conflict — transforming Lebanon into an advanced frontline in service of its regional agenda.

Executive Responsibility
Hezbollah

Bears executive responsibility for the destruction, human losses, and displacement inflicted on Lebanon — having operated as an instrument of Iranian strategy outside the structures of the Lebanese state.

The statement was direct in rejecting any attempt to use Israeli military action as a shield for Iranian-Hezbollah accountability: “It is not possible to respond to this by saying that Lebanon is subjected to Israeli aggression, because the decision of war and peace belongs solely to the Lebanese authorities, not to the Iranian regime.”

“Reconstruction is not the responsibility of the Lebanese state or its taxpayers, but the responsibility of those who decided on and managed the war.”

— Maarab Conference Final Statement

In a significant legal commitment, the assembled forces pledged to pressure the government to pursue an international legal path — documenting all damages and formally claiming full compensation from Iran before international bodies. This would represent a watershed moment: a Middle Eastern state and its allied political forces formally demanding reparations from the Islamic Republic for proxy-war destruction.

The conference’s backing of President Aoun and Prime Minister Salam signals a consolidation of the sovereignty bloc within Lebanese politics — forces that have long argued the state must reclaim its monopoly on arms and foreign policy if Lebanon is to survive as a functional republic.

Faith & Freedom News will continue to follow developments as Lebanon navigates its path toward disarmament, reconstruction, and the restoration of full state sovereignty. Follow our coverage at fandfnews.com.