Lebanon Sends Sharp Message to Iran: "Don’t Interfere"
Beirut pushes back against Iranian criticism over potential Hezbollah disarmament, insisting only the Lebanese government will decide its future.
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In a rare public rebuke, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has told Iran to keep out of Lebanon’s internal matters, amid mounting speculation over a possible plan to disarm Hezbollah.
During a meeting in Beirut with Iranian National Security Council chief Ali Larijani, Aoun rejected the idea that relations between the two countries should be mediated through Hezbollah, and voiced strong opposition to statements by Iranian officials opposing the group’s disarmament.
“As someone who represents the Lebanese people, my government and I firmly oppose Iranian intervention in Lebanon’s internal affairs,” Aoun stated. He emphasized that no entity other than the Lebanese Armed Forces should possess weapons or receive arms from abroad.
Larijani had earlier said that Iran would respect any decision made by Lebanon in coordination with its armed factions but criticized the U.S.-backed proposal setting a timetable for Hezbollah’s disarmament.
The exchange comes amid heightened tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border. Over the weekend, the IDF reported killing a Hezbollah operative conducting surveillance on Israeli forces in the Ayta ash Shab area of southern Lebanon. The army said the operative’s actions violated understandings between the two countries.
Separately, six Lebanese soldiers were killed in Tyre when leftover explosives from previous conflicts with Israel detonated, security sources told Reuters.