Rajji says he asked Araghchi to 'convince Hezbollah to act with reason'

Lebanese Foreign Minister Joe Rajji said Tuesday that he asked his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, who was visiting Beirut on Jan. 9, to "convince Hezbollah to act with reason."

"When Abbas Araghchi came, we spoke very frankly. I asked him to convince Hezbollah to act with reason," he said, according to several media outlets.

Rajji said "the solution lies in Hezbollah's return to the rule of law. Its rearmament and financing must end, and the party should voluntarily hand over its weapons." He added: "It is illogical for armed groups to exist alongside a state that is supposed to decide on war and peace." "Israel carries out daily aggressions, still occupies the five points, and has not released the prisoners. I am not claiming that Israel has the right to attack Lebanon, but a Lebanese faction declared war on Israel, lost it, and brought calamities upon the country," he emphasized.

While in Beirut, Abbas Araghchi was received at Bustros Palace by Joe Rajji, with whom relations have often been tense. Rajji then called on Tehran to support "the Lebanese state directly" and not Hezbollah, and recalled that Lebanon's defense must be the exclusive responsibility of the state, which, "when it holds the decision of war and peace and the monopoly of arms, can seek the help of other states, including Iran." For his part, Araghchi affirmed that "Iran is committed to Lebanon's independence, unity, and sovereignty, and its defence is the responsibility of the Lebanese government." "Iran supports Hezbollah as a resistance movement, but does not intervene at all in its affairs, and any decision concerning Lebanon is up to the party itself," he added.

The president and the government of Nawaf Salam are hostile to Iranian political influence in Lebanon and want to see Hezbollah disarmed. While the Lebanese army is set to implement a plan to disarm the militia party north of the Litani River, Hezbollah refuses to relinquish its arsenal in this area, raising fears of possible internal unrest.