A lively diplomatic confrontation broke out on Saturday between Beirut and Tehran after the statements of Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to the Iranian supreme guide Ali Khamenei, denouncing the Lebanese government project to disarm Hezbollah. Velayati said that “the dream of depriving Hezbollah of his weapons will not come true” and presented the Shiite movement as “stronger than ever” in the face of “American and Israeli plans”. He added: “If Hezbollah is disarmed, who will protect Lebanese citizens? »»
The response of the Lebanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Youssef Raggi, was scathing. In a message published on X, he condemned a “blatant and unacceptable interference” in the internal affairs of Lebanon and reminded Iran to “focus on the needs of his own people” rather than interfere in Lebanese sovereign decisions.
This tension occurs while the Lebanese government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, asked the army to prepare a plan by the end of the month to disarm Hezbollah before the end of the year. The decision caused a boycott of the meeting by the ministers affiliated with the Shiite movement and Amal. Hezbollah, for its part, accuses the executive of “submitting to the dictates of the United States” and of “weakening national sovereignty” by removing its defense means from Lebanon against Israel. The political climate, already tense, deteriorates, feeding fears of new manifestations and instability in Beirut.