Lebanon rejects foreign interference, president tells Iran official

The information chief’s sojourn comes aft Iran expressed absorption to a authorities program to disarm Hezbollah.

Lebanon’s president has told a elder Iranian authoritative that Beirut rejects immoderate interference successful its interior affairs and has criticised Tehran’s statements connected plans to disarm Hezbollah arsenic “unconstructive”.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council main Ali Larijani’s sojourn to Beirut connected Wednesday comes a week aft the Lebanese authorities ordered the service to devise plans by the extremity of 2025 to disarm the Iran-aligned Lebanese equipped group.

Iran expressed absorption to the program to disarm Hezbollah, which earlier a warfare with Israel past twelvemonth was believed to beryllium amended equipped than the Lebanese military.

“It is forbidden for anyone … to carnivore arms and to usage overseas backing arsenic leverage,” Aoun told Larijani, according to a connection from the Lebanese presidency posted connected X.

Larijani responded to Aoun by stating that Iran does not interfere successful Lebanese decision-making, and that overseas countries should not springiness orders to Lebanon.

“Any determination taken by the Lebanese authorities successful consultation with the absorption is respected by us,” helium said aft abstracted talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, whose Amal Movement is an state of Hezbollah.

“Iran didn’t bring immoderate program to Lebanon, the US did. Those intervening successful Lebanese affairs are those dictating plans and deadlines”, said Larijani.

He said Lebanon should not “mix its enemies with its friends – your force is Israel, your person is the resistance”.

Larijani further added that Lebanon should admit Hezbollah, and its “value of resistance”.

Reporting from Beirut, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said Larijani appeared to person softened his connection connected the visit.

“Ali Larijani has been utilizing much diplomatic connection than … a fewer days agone [when] helium was blunt that Iran opposes the Lebanese government’s determination to disarm Hezbollah.”

“He said that Iran’s argumentation is astir affable cooperation, not giving orders and timetables, truthful helium was referring to the United States, the US envoy, which presented a program to extremity tensions with Israel, and that program involves disarming Hezbollah [on] a four-month timetable.”

A ‘state-by-state’ relationship

Dozens of Hezbollah supporters gathered on the airdrome roadworthy to invited Larijani connected Wednesday morning. He concisely stepped retired of his car to greet them arsenic they chanted slogans.

“If … the Lebanese radical are suffering, we successful Iran volition besides consciousness this symptom and we volition basal by the beloved radical of Lebanon successful each circumstances,” Larijani told reporters soon aft landing successful Beirut.

The Iranian authoritative is besides scheduled to conscionable Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, arsenic good arsenic Berri, who is adjacent to Hezbollah.

Iran has suffered a bid of blows successful its long-running rivalry with Israel, including during 12 days of unfastened warfare betwixt the 2 countries successful June.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, was weakened during the warfare with Israel, which ended successful a November 2024 ceasefire that Israel continues to violate.

The caller Lebanese government, backed by the United States, has moved to further restrain the group.

“What the caller Lebanese enactment wants is simply a state-by-state relationship, not similar successful the past wherever …  the Iranians would beryllium dealing with Hezbollah and not [with] the Lebanese state,” said Khodr.

Hezbollah has called the government’s disarmament determination a “grave sin”.

Khodr said the tensions person sparked interest astir imaginable unrest successful the country.

Hezbollah is portion of Iran’s alleged “axis of resistance” – a web of aligned equipped groups successful the region, including Hamas successful Gaza and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who reason Israel.

Source:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies