Lebanese FM: Hezbollah won’t disarm without a decision from Iran

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji says Iran has the final word on whether its Lebanese proxy terror group Hezbollah will disarm, and that he has brought up the issue with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.

“Hezbollah won’t hand over its weapons without an Iranian decision,” Rajji tells Saudi news network Al Arabiya. “Right now [Hezbollah] is concerned with preserving itself and regaining power.”

Amid US and Israeli pressure on Beirut to disarm Hezbollah, Rajji says “disarming Hezbollah and dismantling its military structure are a Lebanese demand, regardless of the international demand.”

Contrary to Hezbollah’s claims, its weapons have failed to “support Gaza, liberate Jerusalem or defend Lebanon” from Israeli attacks, says Rajji.

Hezbollah “provokes the government every day with the talk by its chief, Sheikh Naim Qassem, about rearming,” says Rajji. The comment comes a day after Qassem accused Beirut of giving Israel a “free concession” by sending a civilian rather than a military envoy this week to direct talks mandated under last year’s November 27 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.

Rajji says he hopes sending the civilian envoy, Lebanese diplomat Simon Karam, was a “positive step” that could “spare Lebanon a large-scale military operation” by Israel.

Nonetheless, “Lebanon is very far from signing a peace deal with Israel,” said Rajji, adding that Karam was holding talks with Israel only on “military issues” such as an end to Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon and the withdrawal of the IDF from there.