No group in Lebanon is permitted to bear arms or rely on foreign backing, President Joseph Aoun told a senior Iranian official, days after the cabinet approved the objectives of a US-backed roadmap to disarm Hezbollah.
During a meeting on Wednesday in Beirut with Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's top security body, Aoun warned against foreign interference in Lebanon's internal affairs, saying the country was open to cooperation with Iran but only within the bounds of national sovereignty and mutual respect.
"The friendship we seek with Iran must be with all Lebanese, not through one sect or component alone," Aoun said, according to a statement from his office.
He added that recent language used by some Iranian officials had not been helpful, and reaffirmed that the Lebanese state and its armed forces were solely responsible for safeguarding all citizens.
Aoun told Larijani that recent rhetoric from some Iranian officials “has not been helpful” and that friendship between the two countries should be “with all Lebanese, not through a single sect or component,” according to a statement from the Lebanese presidency.
On Sunday, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry accused some Iranian officials of repeatedly overstepping by making unwarranted statements on Lebanese domestic issues, stressing that such behaviour “will not be tolerated by the Lebanese State under any circumstances.”
This came after Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said that Tehran “definitely opposes the disarmament of Hezbollah, as it has supported and continues to support the Lebanese people and the resistance.”
“Lebanon is a homeland for all its citizens, Christians and Muslims alike, and the Lebanese State, through its constitutional and security institutions, is responsible for protecting all its components,” Aoun said.
He stressed that Lebanon rejects any interference in its internal affairs “from any party” and wants its territory to remain “safe and stable in the interest of all Lebanese without discrimination.”
Rejecting effort to disarm Hezbollah
Larijani, for his part, conveyed greetings from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, renewed an invitation for Aoun to visit Tehran, and expressed Iran’s willingness to help Lebanon with reconstruction.
He said Iran seeks to strengthen ties with Lebanon “at all levels” and praised Aoun’s role in bolstering national unity.
Larijani insisted that Iran does not interfere in Lebanon’s internal affairs and said his statements upon arriving in Beirut reflected the official stance of his country.
Iran “does not want even the slightest disruption” in its friendship with Lebanon and would assist if requested by the Lebanese government, he said.
Earlier in the day, Larijani said that Iran will stand by the Lebanese people “under all circumstances.” He emphasised Iran’s unwavering commitment to the national interests of Lebanon, saying, "If the Lebanese people suffer, the Iranian people feel that pain too.”
Larijani arrived from Iraq for a one-day visit, the Iranian Embassy in Beirut said in a statement. His trip comes days after Iranian officials rejected any effort to disarm Hezbollah following a Lebanese government decision to restrict weapons to state control.
