 "Lebanese soldiers look on as supporters of the Hezbollah militant group block the streets with burning tires while rallying in cars and motorbikes to protest the government's endorsement of a plan to disarm it, in Beirut's southern suburbs. AFP")
Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s top security body, is scheduled to go to Iraq on Monday before continuing on to Lebanon, where the government has authorised a plan to disarm Hezbollah, an ally of Tehran, according to state media.
Ali Larijani will sign a bilateral security agreement in Iraq before travelling to Lebanon, where he will meet with top Lebanese officials and figures.
“Ali Larijani departs today (Monday) for Iraq and then Lebanon on a three-day visit, his first foreign trip since taking office last week,” state television said.
Tehran’s strong resistance to a Lebanese government plan to disarm Tehran’s partner Hezbollah, a move denounced by Beirut as “flagrant and unacceptable interference”, led to his visit to Lebanon.
“Our cooperation with the Lebanese government is long and deep. We consult on various regional issues. In this particular context, we are talking to Lebanese officials and influential figures in Lebanon,” Larijani told state TV before departing.
“In Lebanon, our positions are already clear. Lebanese national unity is important and must be preserved in all circumstances. Lebanon’s independence is still important to us and we will contribute to it.”
On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Larijani’s trip “aims to contribute to the maintenance of peace in the Middle East region”.
He said that Iran recognised Lebanon’s “right to defend itself against the aggression of the Zionist regime (Israel),” adding that this would be “impossible without military capabilities and weapons”.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsBefore its war with Israel, Hezbollah was believed to be better armed than the Lebanese military. It built its popularity, in part, on resistance to Israel, which occupied southern Lebanon for nearly two decades until 2000.
On Saturday, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to Iran’s supreme leader, described the plan to disarm Hezbollah as compliance “to the will of the United States and Israel”.
The disarmament push followed last year’s war between Israel and Hezbollah, which left the group, once a powerful political and military force, weakened.
It also comes amid pressure from the United States and anti-Hezbollah parties in Lebanon, as well as fears Israel could escalate its strikes if the group remains armed.
Iran appointed 68-year-old Larijani to head the Supreme National Security Council, which is responsible for laying out Iran’s defence and security strategy. Its decisions must be approved by the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The appointment comes after a 12-day war with Israel, which began the conflict with an unprecedented attack on Iran in mid-June striking military, nuclear and residential sites.