Sheikh Khatib: Arms issue needs dialogue to protect Lebanon

The vice president of the Higher Shia Council (HSC), Sheikh Ali el-Khatib, visiting Iran, stated Tuesday that the issue of Hezbollah's disarmament “requires dialogue for a defense strategy that protects Lebanon.”

“Some are trying to portray a segment of the Lebanese as defeated, and that it would be demanded to disarm this group unconditionally,” highlighted Sheikh Khatib, alluding to Hezbollah's detractors, including the Lebanese Forces (LF), during a meeting with religious dignitaries in the city of Qom.

“The issue of arms requires dialogue for a defense strategy that protects Lebanon and its citizens; this is what the President of the Lebanese Republic (Joseph Aoun) insists on, and we rely on this position,” assured Sheikh Khatib.

Hezbollah emerges very weakened from its over thirteen-month war against Israel, which concluded with a fragile cease-fire on Nov. 27, 2024, and saw its supply routes cut off, especially after the fall of the Assad regime on Dec.8, 2024. On May 1, President Joseph Aoun noted that there are “two options (for disarmament): force and thus entering a civil war that I will not accept or discussing with Hezbollah to make it understand that it is the state that protects it, and to alleviate its concerns.”

Furthermore, Sheikh Ali el-Khatib deemed it “necessary to strengthen relations between Arab countries and the Islamic Republic of Iran” in the face of Israel.

“The situation in the region is extremely dangerous in the face of Zionist arrogance and the Western support it receives,” declared the religious leader, two days after the Israeli cabinet announced the expansion of its offensive in the Gaza Strip, planning the “conquest” of the Palestinian territory. Additionally, the Israeli army, which has been conducting strikes in Syria for a few days, claiming to support the Druze community, continues to daily bomb positions in southern Lebanon. It also targeted Tuesday night the Houthi infrastructure in Hodeida, in southern Yemen, in response to a rebel strike on Ben Gurion Airport.