Beirut: In light of recent developments, more than 500 Lebanese public figures from across Lebanon and the global diaspora have joined together to launch A Call to Save Lebanon, a national initiative urging citizens to rally behind the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, the appeal expresses support for diplomatic negotiations to end the ongoing war, bring an end to Israeli occupation and Iranian interference in Lebanon's sovereign decision-making, restore the state's full authority, and reaffirm its exclusive responsibility for the legitimate use of arms throughout the country.
Transcending sectarian and political divides, the initiative brings together opinion leaders, academics, civil society representatives, business figures, and political activists from every region of Lebanon, from its northernmost communities to its southernmost villages, including a significant number of prominent Shiite personalities advocating an alternative national vision.
Drawn by Hezbollah into the wars of others, Lebanon today finds itself at a defining moment in its history. Its territory has become a battleground for regional conflicts that serve foreign agendas rather than the interests of the Lebanese people. Israel continues to threaten its security, occupy part of its territory, launch deadly attacks against its citizens, and pursue a systematic policy of destruction designed to depopulate the land and erase its memory. Meanwhile, Iran infringes upon Lebanon's sovereignty by seeking to usurp its national decision-making and draw the country into wars and political bargaining driven by its own regional ambitions.
This dual assault on Lebanese sovereignty has been compounded over recent decades by the gradual capture of state institutions by entrenched networks of political and economic interests that have prevented the state from exercising its constitutional responsibilities, implementing reforms, and promoting sustainable development. More recently, sectarian polarization, inflammatory rhetoric, and reckless accusations of treason have deepened social divisions and created unprecedented risks to the country's stability and future.
These circumstances have prompted an unprecedented civic mobilization. Women and men from across Lebanese society have come together behind this declaration in support of restoring national sovereignty from occupation, militias, corruption, and foreign interference; reaffirming the principles of the national compact upon which Lebanon was founded; restoring the central role of the state as the sole legitimate authority; and contributing to a renewed political vision capable of responding to the profound transformations reshaping the Middle East.
Accordingly, the signatories affirm the following principles: First, Lebanon, within its internationally recognized borders and with its rich cultural and religious diversity, constitutes the final homeland of all its citizens. The Lebanese state alone possesses the legitimate authority to govern public affairs, including decisions of war and peace. The signatories reaffirm their commitment to the Constitution derived from the Taif Agreement, which embodies Lebanon's national compact, and call for stronger institutions and the consistent application of the rule of law in order to bring an end to cycles of violence and parallel authority.
The signatories express their support for the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, and the government in implementing their constitutional commitments and government decisions aimed at ending the proliferation of illegal weapons and restoring the state's exclusive monopoly over the legitimate use of force.
The signatories strongly condemn Israel's continuing military operations against Lebanon and its renewed occupation of parts of Lebanese territory, irrespective of the pretexts invoked by Hezbollah. They hold Israel responsible for attacks on civilians, the systematic destruction of villages, infrastructure, cultural landmarks, and productive assets under a strategy resembling scorched-earth warfare in southern Lebanon. They support the Lebanese state's efforts to document these violations before international institutions and seek accountability and appropriate reparations.
The signatories fully support the Lebanese state's authority to conduct direct negotiations and conclude whatever agreements it deems necessary to serve Lebanon's national interest, achieve a durable end to hostilities with Israel, secure Israel's full withdrawal from Lebanese territory, end repeated violations of Lebanese sovereignty, facilitate the return of displaced populations, rebuild devastated regions, secure the release of detainees, and resolve outstanding issues, including the final demarcation of the land border in accordance with international agreements, compensation for war damages, and the establishment of effective security arrangements along the frontier. They call upon Arab states and the international community to reinforce Lebanon's negotiating position on the basis of international law, the 1949 Armistice Agreement, United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701, and the Declaration of November 27, 2024. They categorically reject any attempt by foreign actors or non-stat e political organizations to negotiate on Lebanon's behalf.
The signatories condemn Iran's continued interference in Lebanon's sovereign affairs and call upon Tehran to cease exercising influence over Lebanon's sovereign decision-making. They further call for the withdrawal of all Iranian-linked military and security structures operating on Lebanese territory and insist that bilateral relations between the two countries be conducted exclusively through their legitimate state institutions as the basis for normal and mutually respectful relations.
The signatories urge the government and all relevant institutions to fully implement recent government decisions of 5th August 2025 and 2nd March 2026, concerning Hezbollah's weapons, dismantle illicit financing networks, address the issue of Palestinian arms outside state authority, and criminalize any armed activity conducted outside the framework of the Lebanese state.
The signatories support ongoing efforts to assist displaced populations and call for every possible measure to ensure their prompt return home. They further urge the launch of an international reconstruction initiative financed by the international community and administered exclusively through transparent state institutions, free from corruption and political patronage.
The signatories believe that restoring sovereignty must go hand in hand with an uncompromising fight against corruption, accelerated judicial, financial, and administrative reforms, economic recovery, fair fiscal and social policies, and the revitalization of productive and service sectors in both the public and private spheres, thereby laying the foundations for a sustainable and competitive economy.
The signatories call for the full implementation of the Taif Agreement, the correction of practices that have departed from its original intent, and, in due course, its institutional development through national consensus rather than political bargaining, with the objective of consolidating an effective democratic system that guarantees pluralism, individual freedoms, the civil character of the state, transparency, and public accountability.
The signatories reaffirm their commitment to fostering a culture of dialogue, respectful public debate, and constructive engagement among Lebanese citizens. They believe that strengthening common civic space across sectarian and political divides is indispensable to preserving internal stability and rebuilding national cohesion.
This declaration constitutes an open invitation to all Lebanese citizens-whether active in civil society, public life, or politics-to work together in confronting the existential challenges facing their country, strengthening the state, safeguarding the Republic, and building a sovereign, stable, and prosperous Lebanon worthy of its people's aspirations. Above all, it is a call to ensure that the present war will be the last war fought on Lebanese soil.