BEIRUT, December 24. /TASS/. The armed wing of the Shiite movement Hezbollah must cease to exist, as a new era has begun in Lebanon and the Middle East, Lebanese Foreign Minister Yousef Raji announced via videoconference at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
"In accordance with the government plan, the process of disarming Shiite fighters must extend to not only the south but all other regions of the country," the diplomat noted. "The security interests of Lebanon require the liquidation of both the military and security structures of Hezbollah."
As Raji noted, however, the Shiite movement ignores the authorities’ demand to disarm its units north of the Litani River under the pretext of the need to confront Israel. "Hezbollah leaders are trying to buy time and are blackmailing the government, threatening to unleash internal strife," he explained.
Raji emphasized that major problems have arisen between Beirut and Tehran due to Hezbollah. "The Iranians are not our enemies, but they are directly involved in arming and financing an illegal militant organization in our country," he said.
Raji considered it premature to speak about either the restoration of destroyed areas in Southern Lebanon or the normalization of relations with Israel. "The war is not over and could resume at any moment," he warned.
In a televised address on December 13, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Sheikh Naim Qassem, demanded that the authorities "stop making free concessions to Israel" and condemned the appointment of the former ambassador to the United States as head of the Lebanese delegation in bilateral negotiations in Rosh HaNikra. Qassem stated that the resistance forces retain the right to strengthen their defense capabilities, as, according to him, the ceasefire agreement with Israel from November 27, 2024, does not apply to the region north of the Litani River.