What comes first -- Hezbollah disarmament or Israel withdrawal?

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has criticized calls for dialogue with Hezbollah over its arms, calling for a deadline for disarming the group south and north of the Litani river.

In an interview on Thursday night with MTV, Geagea said there is no room for defense strategies and dialogues, calling instead for immediately setting a deadline of six months for the disarmament of Hezbollah.

President Joseph Aoun, who vowed to monopolize arms, said many times that Hezbollah’s weapons cannot be removed by force but through dialogue and a defense strategy. "Hezbollah has shown a lot of leniency, flexibility and cooperation over the arms issue," Aoun said Thursday.

Hezbollah is reportedly ready to hold talks with Aoun about its weapons in the context of a national defense strategy but only after Israel withdraws from south Lebanon and stops its strikes and violations.

Geagea warned that if Hezbollah does not disarm "Israel will not stop but rather increase its assassinations and the five points (it is still occupying in south Lebanon) will become ten."

He said maintaining good relations with the United States is what would resolve the problem. "We must win the U.S.' support in order to make Israel withdraw (from the five hills)."

Deputy U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Morgan Ortagus, who visited Lebanon twice since the election of President Aoun, has said that Washington will be "bringing together Lebanon and Israel for talks aimed at diplomatically resolving several outstanding issues between the two countries" -- the release of Lebanese prisoners, the remaining disputed points along the Blue Line, and the remaining 5 points where Israeli forces are still deployed.

"We are asking, demanding and hoping for generational change in Lebanon and if they don't do it they won't save their country," she said this week in an interview with al-Arabiya, stressing the need to fully disarm Hezbollah.

In her first visit to war-hit Lebanon on February, Ortagus voiced from Baabda pro-Israel statements. "We are grateful to our ally Israel for defeating Hezbollah," Ortagus said, adding that the United States has set a "red line" that Hezbollah should not be a member of Lebanon's next government.

The comments provoked Hezbollah supporters and many Lebanese still suffering from the consequences of more than a year of war with Israel.

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Thursday the Lebanese government's priorities must be how to stop Israeli aggressions through a national (defense) strategy and dialogue, after Prime Minister Nawaf Salam revealed that Cabinet will soon discuss the monopolization of weapons and extending the state's authority on all Lebanese territories.