Lebanon declares it’s no longer under Iranian patronage or dictates, vows to disarm Hizballah

Hizballah and Iran have been woes to the Lebanese people, and the Lebanese government has had enough, as is reflected in the “unprecedented shift” in firmly rejecting Iran and Hizballah. A Foreign Policy article entitled “Why Hezbollah Is Rich and Lebanon Is Poor” tells part of the story of how the people of Lebanon have suffered economic collapse under Hizballah.

The leadership of Lebanon had a little help and nudging, as reported here at Jihad Watch by Hugh Fitzgerald:

The Trump Administration has for months been pressuring the Lebanese government to demand that Hezbollah disarm. At a meeting of the Cabinet in Beirut this past week, called by President Joseph Aoun, it was clear that Hezbollah, so greatly weakened by the IDF, no longer intimidates the Lebanese — Sunnis, Christians and many Shi’a too — who want Hezbollah to give up its weapons and become a purely political movement.

The people of Gaza have also been abused by Hamas, which is also propped up by Iran. But at least Lebanon is recognizing that Hizballah and Iran’s jihad against Israel are harming the country, and they are doing something about it.

Israel is to be thanked for liberating the people of Lebanon from Hizballah and Iran, and likewise for liberating Gaza from Hamas.

Unfortunately, rather than marginalize Hamas, the leftists of the Western world have encouraged the jihad terror group by blaming Israel for the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza, when that plight is the fault of Hamas.

“Unprecedented Shift In Lebanon’s Attitude Towards Iran: Our Government’s Decision To Disarm Hizbullah Stands; We Will Not Tolerate Your Intervention In Our Internal Affairs; Relations With Lebanon Must Be Conducted Via State Institutions, Not Via Hizbullah,” MEMRI, August 14, 2025:

On August 13, 2025, during his visit to Lebanon, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, heard unequivocally from Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that Lebanon is no longer under Iranian patronage and will not tolerate Iranian dictates or interference in its internal affairs.

Larijani’s visit came amid tension between the two countries that followed the historic August 5 decision by the Lebanese government to disarm Hizbullah by the end of the year[1] – a decision that sparked rage in Hizbullah’s patron Iran. Iranian officials, among them Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as Ali Akbar Velayati, top advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Iraj Masjedi, deputy commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, expressed their vehement opposition to the Lebanon’s sovereign decision, claiming that it reflected not the will of the Lebanese people but only Israeli and American aspirations. These senior Iranian officials voiced support for Hizbullah’s refusal to comply with the demand to disarm,[2] and warned that Hizbullah could thwart this plan because it had already rebuilt itself following the war with Israel and is now “at the height of its powers.” They added that Iran would support the organization in this matter.

Lebanon was quick to respond to these statements, perceiving them as direct and blatant interference in its domestic affairs. In a notable response, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry issued, unprecedentedly, not one but two harsh condemnations of “the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, unity, and stability.”

More condemnation and criticism came from the anti-Hizbullah and anti-Iran camp in Lebanon, which called on the Lebanese government to take diplomatic measures against Iran, such as expelling the Iranian ambassador and even severing relations with Iran, in addition to filing a complaint with the UN Security Council.

During his visit to Lebanon, Larijani reiterated his country’s support for Hizbullah and its weapons, …..