Iraqi: Disarming Hezbollah will fail... and Iran strongly supports it

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said yesterday, Wednesday, August 7, that his country supports the Lebanese Hezbollah in its rejection of the disarmament plan, asserting that these efforts are doomed to fail.

He added in an interview with Iranian state television that "the pursuit of disarming Hezbollah is not a new matter, and previous attempts have failed for known reasons, the most important of which is that the resistance's weapon has proven its effectiveness on the battlefields," emphasizing that "Tehran supports Hezbollah without interfering in its internal decisions."

Araqchi pointed out that "the Secretary-General of Hezbollah expressed a firm stance, and the party's recent statement reflected this movement's insistence on standing firm against pressures," adding that "the reorganization of the party's ranks confirms its readiness and that it has sufficient capabilities to defend itself."

He clarified that the final decision regarding how to act in the next phase belongs solely to Hezbollah, and that Iran, despite its full support for it, does not interfere in its choices.

He described any attempt to disarm the party as a "great sin," stating that such measures would only lead to further tension in the region.

Hezbollah had issued a statement earlier today, firmly rejecting the Lebanese government's decision to task the army with creating a plan to confine weapons to the state before the end of the year, considering that this decision came as a result of "direct impositions from U.S. envoy Tom Barak," according to the statement.

It also described the decision as "contradictory to the ministerial statement and represents a violation of national sovereignty and an open mandate for Israel."

The party confirmed in its statement that it would treat the decision as if it did not exist, adding that the withdrawal of Hezbollah and Amal Movement ministers from the government session was a clear expression of total rejection of what was approved.

It is noteworthy that the Lebanese government held a session described as historic yesterday, concluding with the announcement of tasking the army to create a plan to implement the confinement of weapons in the hands of legitimate forces before the end of this year, with this plan to be presented by the end of August.

The Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Naeem Qassem, had preceded the announcement of the government decision by confirming that the party would not accept any timeline for the withdrawal of weapons, calling on the Lebanese state to focus on developing plans to confront threats and pressures and to secure protection for the country, as he expressed.