Lebanese Christian Leader Takes on Hezbollah

President Barack Obama’s top counterterrorism advisor John Brennan created a stir recently when he talked of building up the “more moderate elements” of the terrorist group Hezbollah.

But in response to such an idea, one Christian member of Lebanon’s Parliament said, “Good luck with that.”

“Hezbollah is a very dangerous party because they are trying to impose to Lebanon their policy and their vision of jihad and martyrdom,” said Nadim Gemayel, member of the Lebanon Parliament. “And this is unacceptable.”

Gemayel has called for Hezbollah to disarm. He told CBN News in an exclusive interview that the Shiite terror militia has hijacked his country.

“It’s abiding to the rules of the Iranian revolution,” Gemayel said of the gorup. “But moreover, I think that with the support, of course, of the Iranian arms and the money and the financing of the Iranians and from the facilities that Syria is providing to Hezbollah, we are having a party — a military party — growing day after day and year after year — especially after the war of 2006.”

In that war, Israel heavily damaged Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Lebanon after the group kidnapped two Israeli soldiers.

Hezbollah has been able to regroup — to the tune of some 60,000 rockets and long range missiles. Israeli officials believe that those rockets and missiles are aimed at their country from across the Lebanese border.

Gemayel said Hezbollah sponsors, Iran and Syria, are funneling the weapons into his country. He told CBN News that most Lebanese are afraid of the terrorist group and its Iranian influence in their country.

“Today, I think that most of the Lebanese, of course, are afraid,” Gemayel said. “And maybe some of them cannot say clearly and openly what I am saying today: and that is Hezbollah is threatening them.”

Speaking out like this can be deadly. Gemayel’s father, former Lebanese President Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated by Syrian operatives in 1982. His cousin Pierre was also murdered in 2006.

CBN News asked Gemayal that as a bold, Christian voice in Lebanon, if he ever feared for his own safety.

“I think that this battle — the battle of freedom, the battle of democracy, and especially the battle of preserving the role and existence of the Christians in Lebanon is very, very important.” he responded. “And it’s worth giving all that I have in order to preserve the civilization and the culture and the role of Christians in Lebanon.”