Larijani says US not Iran intervening in Lebanese affairs
Iran's Supreme National Security Council chief Ali Larijani advised the Lebanese to preserve the resistance and accused the United States of "ordering" the Lebanese government to implement "a foreign plan", as he met Wednesday with President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Larijani's visit to Lebanon comes after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise plans to disarm Hezbollah.
Following his arrival in Beirut, Larijani vowed that his government would continue to provide support, after it expressed opposition to the disarmament plan.
The senior Iranian official said his country rejected the plan and that any proposal to disarm Hezbollah should be part of an internal dialogue between the government and the Iran-backed group. He called on the Lebanese people to preserve "the resistance," saying that Iran will stand by Lebanon in case of any Israeli escalation and if Lebanon asks for help.
"We respect any decision taken by the Lebanese government in coordination and cooperation with Lebanon's factions ... and consider Lebanon's unity to be very important but we don't support the foreign orders through which a certain timetable is specified," Larijani said after his meetings, in reference to a paper submitted by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Lebanese officials. The proposal includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament.
Larijani said that no foreign power should give orders to Lebanon, adding that it was not Iran but the United States that was intervening.
Aoun had earlier told Larijani that he rejected any interference in the country's internal affairs, branding as "unconstructive" Iran's statements on plans to disarm Hezbollah.
"The one who interferes in Lebanese affairs is the one who plans for you, gives you a timetable from thousands of kilometers away. We did not give you any plan," Larijani said.
He added that Iran currently has "the best relations with Lebanon" and lauded the role that Aoun is playing "in bolstering national unity and unifying ranks inside all Lebanese sects and with all components."
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The United States was begged to intervene by Nabih Berri with Hezbollah's support. The ones who interferes in Lebanese affairs are someone like the IRGC officer disguised as an ambassador, who lost an eye and fingers to an exploding pager, in the Iranian embassy in Beirut. Those same pagers, were bought by the IRGC and distributed to military and logistical members of Hezbollah. They were designed to privately dispense the orders directly from the IRGC command center inside the Iranian embassy in Beirut. It was a beautiful scheme until it blew up.
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Why do his comments of support in Lebanon as a sovereign country and government still sound like accusations and complaints about Iran being treated unfairly at the feeding trough of life?
Lebanon is Lebanese .. Lebanon's duly elected government gets to decide what is a good policy or is to be avoided .. what is or is not "interference" by a foreign actor .. what use is to be made of military force and when or not ... ... The choices have been made for the present time and conditions: all military belongs solely in the hands and under the direction of the Lebanese Armed Forces.
Comply or leave and never return. That is the will of the whole Lebanon.
Hizbollah is another criminal Iranian brigade like Houthis. Lebanon GNP was $65 billions and should be over $200 billions today accounting for inflation & advantages we had in education, commerce, banking & worldwide experience; instead of only $17 billion. Lebanese including Shia should have higher standard of living than Saudis instead of being bankrupt, isolated & begging for aid for basic needs. Hizb is 100% responsible for making our lira worthless resulting in 80% of people below poverty with worthless savings & pensions & mushrooming public debt. Hizbollah cost to Lebanon’s economy over the years is hundreds of billions. Nassrallah admitted his arms & militia salaries are from Iran making them Iranian mercenaries. Lebanon and individuals have full right to sue Iran in international courts to be compensated from the $110 billion Iranian frozen fund. First, we should expel Iranian ambassador, put Hizb leaders (foreign agents) in prison & seize all its assets.