Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was quoted in an interview with a domestic news outlet which was withdrawn without explanation that he had confronted Iran's security chief about the Tehran-backed Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah.
CNN Arabic and Lebanese news website Naharnet quoted the interview by ASAS Media in which Aoun, 60, the ex-commander of the US-backed Lebanese army who became president this year describes an August meeting with Ali Larijani.
“Larijani… heard very harsh words from me. He seemed extremely tense: 'The Shi'ites of Lebanon are my responsibility, not yours.'" Lebanese outlet ASAS Media quoted Aoun as saying in the interview according to the news reports.
The link to the original article on the ASAS Media website was down, as was a report on the interview that appeared on pan-Arab news outlet Al Arabiya.
Lebanon's presidency and ASAS Media did not immediately respond to Iran International requests for comment.
"Hezbollah, in its military wing, is finished," the withdrawn report quoted Aoun as saying. "(Iran) come to me aware of this reality and this outcome, but they are keen on an honorable end and a decent exit, and this is exactly what we are striving to achieve."
"(My) positions of this caliber and higher made him suppress his tension until his legs shook. He left the palace in a state of shock. Then he returned and asked for an appointment, but I did not receive him."
Aoun has broken with decades of precedent by publicly advocating for the disarmament of Hezbollah, long a policy priority for Israel and Western countries, after it suffered painful blows from Israeli attacks last year.
Founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, Hezbollah has grown into Lebanon’s most powerful military and political force. It has fought multiple wars with Israel and is a key member of Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” alliance.
The group, which fought a nearly twenty-year insurgency which ultimately ejected Israel from occupied South Lebanon in 2000, is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and several Western countries.
Larijani meeting
According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency posted on X following their meeting in August, Aoun told Larijani that no group in Lebanon is permitted to bear arms or rely on foreign backing after the cabinet approved the goals of a US-backed roadmap to disarm Hezbollah.
Aoun also warned against foreign interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs, saying the country was open to cooperation with Iran but only within the bounds of national sovereignty and mutual respect.
“We reject any interference in our internal affairs,” Aoun said, adding that “it is forbidden for anyone … to bear arms and to use foreign backing as leverage,” Aoun said according to the statement.
“The friendship we seek with Iran must be with all Lebanese, not through one sect or component alone,” Aoun added.
Tehran's take
A report by Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim News at the time did not indicate any tensions.
Tasnim said that during his meeting with the president, Larijani spoke of deep historical and cultural links between the two countries.
“If one day the people of Lebanon are in distress, we in Iran will also feel that pain. We will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances,” Tasnim quoted Larijani as saying.
Larijani also said he had renewed his invitation for Aoun to visit Tehran and emphasized Iran’s readiness to help Lebanon in the field of reconstruction, according to local Iranian media.
Later on Tuesday, pro-Iran Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen reported, citing unnamed sources in the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, that the reports circulating about the content of the meeting were inaccurate.
Al Mayadeen cited the sources as expressing surprise at what had been published, saying it was entirely unlikely that the “absurd” phrases attributed to the Lebanese president had ever been said by him.
In early August, Washington presented Lebanese officials with a US-supported roadmap that called on Beirut to issue a decree within 15 days committing to Hezbollah’s full disarmament by December 31, 2025.
Lebanon’s cabinet in September discussed the US plan and approved its objectives, while stopping short of setting a timeline.
A ceasefire brokered by France and the United States between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect last November, requiring phased Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army across the area.
Both Hezbollah and Israel continue to accuse their opponent continuous violations of the ceasefire.
