Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem thanks Iran for support amid Lebanon's push to disarm group

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Naim Qassem has publicly expressed gratitude to Iran for what he described as its steadfast support in the group’s struggle against 'Israel', following a meeting with a senior Iranian security official in Beirut.

The Lebanese faction said on Thursday that Qassem met with Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who arrived in Lebanon the previous day. According to Hezbollah’s statement, Qassem thanked Tehran “for the ongoing support to Lebanon and its resistance against the Israeli enemy,” as well as for backing Lebanon’s “unity, sovereignty and independence.” He also underlined what he called “the brotherly relations between the Lebanese and Iranian people.”

Read more: "We reject any interference in our internal affairs," Lebanon tells Iran

Iran has been Hezbollah’s main patron since the group’s emergence decades ago, providing political and military support. That relationship comes at a time when Hezbollah is still reeling from last year’s war with 'Israel', which severely damaged its weapons stockpile and claimed the lives of several high-ranking commanders.

Larijani’s visit took place against a backdrop of growing political friction in Lebanon, after the government tasked the Lebanese army with drafting a plan to disarm Hezbollah by year’s end. The move has triggered debate among political leaders and renewed questions over the group’s role in the country’s security framework.

Statements from Iranian officials defending Hezbollah’s right to retain its arsenal have angered several Lebanese leaders. President Joseph Aoun told Larijani on Wednesday, “we reject any interference in our internal affairs,” stressing that “it is forbidden for anyone... to bear arms and to use foreign backing as leverage.”

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam delivered a similar message, saying, “Lebanon will not accept, in any form, any interference in its internal affairs, and expects from the Iranian side a clear and explicit commitment to respect these principles.”

In response, Larijani insisted that “any decision that the Lebanese government makes in consultation with the resistance is respected by us.”

He also pushed back at accusations of Iranian meddling, remarking, “The one who interferes in Lebanese affairs is the one who plans for you, gives you a timetable from thousands of kilometres away. We did not give you any plan.”