Overview

• Ali Larijani arrived in Beirut as the most senior Iranian official since the Lebanese government endorsed a U.S.-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah.
• President Joseph Aoun publicly rejected Iranian meddling and stressed that only the Lebanese state may bear arms within its territory.
• Iran formally denounced the disarmament proposal as an externally imposed plan and pledged continued political and material backing for Hezbollah.
• Hezbollah has refused to disarm, labeling the cabinet decision a “grave sin,” and Shiite bloc ministers walked out in protest.
• The Lebanese army has been directed to draft a phased disarmament plan targeting full state control of heavy arms by the end of the year.