Iran's Larijani visits Beirut amid Lebanon's push to disarm Hezbollah

A senior Iranian security official arrived in Beirut for talks amid Lebanon’s move to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah, a plan that has drawn sharp pushback from the group and sparked questions over Lebanon’s sovereignty and regional alignments. The Lebanese government has ordered the army to develop a plan to curb Hezbollah’s weapons by the end of 2025, while Beirut’s leadership faces competing pressures from Tehran, Washington, and regional allies. The visit, and the accompanying statements, underscored the delicate balance Beirut seeks to strike between maintaining its sovereignty and managing a powerful militia with regional support.

Iran’s Ali Larijani met Lebanon’s president and other senior officials during a day of meetings that touched on sovereignty, foreign intervention, and the role of Hezbollah. After talks with President Michel Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and others, Larijani asserted that Iran does not interfere in Lebanon’s decision-making and that “any decision taken by the Lebanese government in consultation with the resistance is respected by us.” He added that Lebanon should not mix its enemies with its friends, insisting that the country’s enemy...