Raad meets Presidential Advisor to discuss 'political developments'

BEIRUT — Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad, received the advisor to the President of the Republic, General Andre Rahal, at the bloc's office in the southern suburbs, as the cabinet is expecting by the end of the month a plan for the disarmament of militias in Lebanon, among which Hezbollah, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported Friday.

They discussed the current political situation, recent developments, and the positions of the concerned parties regarding these matters, NNA reported.

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Why Hezbollah spares Aoun, and distances itself from Salam

Earlier this month, the Lebanese Army was tasked with drafting a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year. Since taking office, President Joseph Aoun and Salam have both pledged to strengthen judicial independence and reassert the state’s monopoly on weapons.

In this regard, Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has recently been accused in Hezbollah-aligned media of serving "Israeli-Saudi" interests or being a "Zionist," amid a campaign against him led by the party.

Last Friday, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem threatened confrontation if disarmament is imposed and accused the Salam government of serving Israel’s interests, remarks that drew widespread condemnation from political leaders.

In response to Aoun’s recent speech on Aug. 1, delivered on Army Day, during which he reiterated his determination to monopolize weapons in the hands of the state, a campaign had been waged against the president by individuals close to Hezbollah. These include journalists on social networks, television shows and in videos.

One of these widely circulated videos shows journalist Hassan Olleik addressing the president, in particular commenting on the phrase used by Aoun, who called to “eliminate the pretext” that these weapons give the enemy to continue its aggression against Lebanon.

Officially, Hezbollah accuses Salam — in his capacity as head of the executive authority — of being lax in response to Israel’s ongoing aggression against Lebanon. “Instead of exerting every possible effort with the international community and the U.N. to push Israel to end its attacks on Lebanon and withdraw, Salam prefers to exert pressure domestically [on Hezbollah],” Hezbollah spokesperson, Youssef Zein, told L’Orient Today.