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Lebanon presses Iran over Hezbollah disarmament
Lebanon has stepped up pressure on Iran over the issue of Hezbollah’s disarmament, with the country’s top diplomat calling for a “new approach” to address the sensitive question of the armed group’s weapons. The appeal was made on Friday during talks with Iran’s foreign minister, who is currently visiting Beirut.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi told his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, that Lebanon’s defense must be the sole responsibility of the state and that the government should retain a monopoly over weapons. According to a statement from the Lebanese Foreign Ministry, Raggi questioned whether Tehran would accept the presence of an illegal armed group operating within its own territory.
The Lebanese minister urged Iran to engage in dialogue with Beirut to find a different way forward on Hezbollah’s arms, stressing that these weapons should not serve as a justification for weakening Lebanon. His remarks come as Beirut faces strong pressure from the United States to disarm Hezbollah, which has been weakened following a recent conflict with Israel. Iran and the Iran-backed group have both expressed opposition to such a move.
Tensions have risen further after the Lebanese army announced that it had completed the disarmament of Hezbollah in the southern part of the country near the Israeli border. Israel, however, dismissed these efforts as insufficient and carried out new strikes on Lebanon on Friday.
During his visit, Iran’s foreign minister also met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and was scheduled to hold talks with other senior officials. He paid a visit to the mausoleum of Hassan Nasrallah, the former Hezbollah leader killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs in September 2024.
Since the war between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanese officials have adopted a more critical tone toward Iran. In recent months, Beirut has repeatedly stressed its rejection of any foreign interference in its internal affairs, including criticism voiced by Iranian officials over the government’s decision to pursue Hezbollah’s disarmament.
