LACC Calls for Immediate Enforcement of Lebanon’s Sovereignty. The Lebanese American Coordinating Committee (LACC) expresses grave concern over the latest escalation in Lebanon, triggered by Hezbollah’s decision in early March 2026 to launch rockets from Lebanese territory against Israel, once again dragging the country into a conflict outside the authority of the Lebanese state.
Recent developments have removed any remaining ambiguity. Hezbollah’s continued defiance and intimidation of Lebanese officials and citizens, combined with the Lebanese government’s decision to declare Iran’s ambassador persona non grata – a step we commend Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji for advancing – underscore the extent to which Lebanese sovereignty is being undermined by direct Iranian interference and by an armed actor operating beyond state control. Hezbollah’s military operations are increasingly aligned with, and in key respects directed by, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), further eroding its claim to act within a Lebanese national framework.
This dynamic is not only driving conflict with Israel but also increasing the risk of internal instability. Hezbollah’s sustained military posture and intimidation across multiple regions are heightening tensions within Lebanese society. Absent decisive state action, these conditions risk escalating into internal clashes or broader civil unrest.
On March 2, 2026, the Lebanese government took a long-overdue and unprecedented step by declaring all military and security activities outside the framework of the state illegal and requiring that such capabilities be brought under state authority.
This decision settled the question of principle. What remains is execution.
Failure to implement this decision will not preserve stability. It will entrench instability, invite further conflict, and deepen Lebanon’s subordination to external agendas. Continued inaction effectively grants a permanent veto over Lebanese sovereignty to an armed actor operating outside the law.
For the United States and its partners, the stakes are immediate and strategic. A Lebanon in which Hezbollah continues to operate as part of Iran’s regional network will remain a recurring source of instability and a direct challenge to regional security.
The LACC therefore calls for:
- Immediate, sustained, and irreversible implementation of the March 2 government decision, ensuring that all military and security activity is brought under the exclusive authority of the Lebanese state.
- A time-bound national implementation plan, with clearly defined responsibilities, enforcement milestones, and public accountability.
- Concrete enforcement by Lebanese state institutions, particularly the Lebanese Armed Forces, to prevent attacks from Lebanese territory, dismantle weapons networks, and extend state authority nationwide.
- Legal and financial action to dismantle the infrastructure sustaining armed activity outside the state, including illicit financing, smuggling networks, and unauthorized facilities.
- A coordinated international approach, led by the United States, that makes political, military, and financial support to Lebanon, including support to the Lebanese Armed Forces, contingent on measurable enforcement deliverables, not declarations.
- A firm and sustained rejection of Iranian interference in Lebanon’s sovereign affairs, including diplomatic, political, and operational channels used to influence Lebanese decision-making.
The choice is no longer between escalation and restraint. It is between the restoration of state sovereignty and the risk of continued external conflict and internal fragmentation.
The LACC urges U.S. policymakers, international partners, and Lebanese authorities to act decisively to ensure that Lebanese sovereignty is enforced in practice, not merely affirmed in principle.
