The use of the term “militia” by MP Sami Gemayel during his speech yesterday in Parliament angered representatives of Hezbollah, who demanded that the word be removed from the official session minutes. This demand led to a verbal clash among several MPs. Speaker Nabih Berri, appearing to walk a fine line, adopted a middle-ground position, claiming that Gemayel had not meant Hezbollah specifically.

But MP Sami Gemayel did mean Hezbollah. In the view of the overwhelming majority of Lebanese, Hezbollah is a militia and there is no longer a need to pretend otherwise.

Perhaps the militia’s most recent “achievement” was the speech delivered by its secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, at a demonstration in support of Iran. The militia’s declared its readiness to engage in another so-called “support war"—the term used by party members to refer to Hezbollah military action parallel to the Israeli war in Gaza—his time directly against America.

Hezbollah has harmed Lebanon more than its enemies ever have. It refuses to learn from the grave wrongs it has committed over decades against the Lebanese people—particularly against the segment of Lebanese society that has embraced and sheltered it since its creation. But its crimes have affected the trajectory of the state itself.

This month marks the twenty-first anniversary of President Rafik Hariri's assassination, an assassination whose impact continues to resonate today. The Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague classified the assassination as a terrorist act and named Hezbollah military commander, Mustafa Badreddine, as among the men responsible.

Hezbollah served as the tool of two regimes at the time: namely, the Syrians and the Iranians. Today, we see the latter killing thousands of its own citizens in the streets without hesitation. Meanwhile, here in Lebanon, we witness the party and its supportive base offering blind backing for the massacres in Iran, undeterred as they laud the officials responsible.

Today, Hezbollah has become almost completely isolated. Even its long-standing ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, now takes every opportunity to distance itself from the party. It's leader, MP Gebran Bassil, can no longer ignore the reality that Hezbollah has become a heavy burden, and that drawing close to it has become politically lethal at every level, notwithstanding its remaining electoral strength.

If the party insists on reviving what is already dead, it will soon find itself a pariah —one that clings to its weapons against the will of the Lebanese people, while threatening them with civil wars at home and regional wars abroad.

The time has come to put an end to this abnormal situation and to restore our people—particularly within the Shiite community—to the fold of state legitimacy, alongside their brothers and sisters in the nation.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the writers are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Annahar.