US-Israeli plot to disarm Hezbollah will fail: Iran leader's advisor
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Ali Akbar Velayati says Iran will continue supporting Hezbollah and rejects disarmament calls, as Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry denounces his remarks as interference.
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In this Jan. 30, 2020, photo, Ali Akbar Velayati, adviser to the Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei, waves to media at the conclusion of his press conference, in Tehran, Iran (AP)
Ali Akbar Velayati, advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic of Iran on international affairs, affirmed that “the Islamic Republic of Iran absolutely opposes the disarmament of Hezbollah”, stressing that Iran has always supported the people of Lebanon and their Resistance, “and continues to do so to this day.”
Speaking to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency on Saturday, Velayati said the idea of disarming Hezbollah is not new in Lebanon.
“Just as these attempts failed in the past, they will fail again this time, and the Resistance will stand firm against these conspiracies,” he stated.
He pointed to political moves by some Lebanese factions aimed at disarming Hezbollah, describing them as being driven by pressure from the United States and the Israeli entity.
Velayati said Washington and "Israel" believe they can replicate another "Joulani" scenario in Lebanon, but “this dream will not come true, and Lebanon, as always, will continue to stand firm.”
He added that when the Resistance had fewer capabilities in the past, it was able to defeat such schemes, and today, with greater popular support and resources, it “will not, by God’s will, allow these projects to be realized.”
US-Israeli pressure behind disarmament demand
According to Velayati, the current push to disarm Hezbollah mirrors past foreign-backed efforts that were unsuccessful. He said the pressure campaign is rooted in the strategic interests of the US and "Israel" in the region, aiming to weaken the Lebanese Resistance movement.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants condemned Velayati’s remarks, calling them “a blatant and unacceptable interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.”
The ministry noted that this is not the first such statement from senior Iranian officials, accusing them of “persistently making questionable comments about Lebanese internal decisions that have nothing to do with the Islamic Republic.”
It stressed that such actions will not be tolerated by the Lebanese state under any circumstances and that no external party, whether friend or foe, will be allowed to speak on behalf of the Lebanese people or claim guardianship over their sovereign decisions.
Read more: Hezbollah disarmament order paves way for normalization: Israeli media
Raad: Disarming Hezbollah is suicide
It is worth noting that on Tuesday, Lebanon’s Council of Ministers approved a resolution affirming that all weapons in the country must be under the state’s control, with the Lebanese army tasked to present a plan by August 31.
On Thursday, the government approved a proposal by US envoy Thomas Barrack.
In response, Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Loyalty to the Resistance, told Al-Manar TV that the US and Israeli push for a timetable to implement demands on the Lebanese government “comes because time is not in their favor.”
Raad revealed that “on Tuesday, diplomats under US pressure contacted some figures to call the president and congratulate him.” He added: “The state, with its own capabilities, can ensure its authority, but it cannot confront the enemy. The resistance’s weapons have protected Lebanon from 1982 to 2025, liberated and triumphed, created a balance of deterrence, and brought down the enemy’s expansionist project.”
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