File photo: Lebanese Hezbollah fighters stand near multiple rocket launchers during a press tour in the southern Lebanese village of Aaramta, ahead of the anniversary of the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. AFP
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is certainly opposed to the disarmament of Hezbollah," international affairs adviser Ali Akbar Velayati said. "Iran has always supported the people and the resistance of Lebanon and continues to do so."
The Lebanese cabinet on Tuesday authorised the army to draw up a plan to establish the state's exclusive control over weapons -- a move that would mean disarming the Tehran-backed Hezbollah by the end of the year.
The decision followed an indiscriminate Israeli war against Lebanon, in which Israel. The Israeli aggression has significantly affected Hezbollah, which has traditionally guarded Lebanon’s southern borders against Israeli incursions.
Hezbollah was the only group to retain its weapons after Lebanon’s civil war ended in 1990. It was founded in 1982 in response to Israel’s second invasion and occupation of Lebanon that year. Israel’s first invasion took place in 1978, several years before Hezbollah was established.
Characterising the disarmament push as the result of US and Israeli interference, Velayati said, "this is not the first time that some in Lebanon have raised such issues".
"But just as previous anti-Lebanese plans failed, this one will also not succeed, and the resistance will stand firm against these conspiracies."
The cabinet has been under pressure from the United States and anti-Hezbollah parties in Lebanon to commit publicly to disarming the group, amid fears Israel could escalate its ongoing strikes on Lebanese territory.
On Wednesday, Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi, said any decision on disarmament was Hezbollah's to make, adding Tehran supported its ally "from afar, but we do not intervene".
His comments came hours after Hezbollah slammed the cabinet decision as a "grave sin", adding it would treat the move "as if it did not exist."
The Lebanese government has cast disarmament as part of the implementation of the November ceasefire that sought to end Israel's escalation against Lebanon.
Under the truce, Hezbollah was to withdraw north of Lebanon’s Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south, while Israel was to pull all its forces from southern Lebanon.
However, Israel didn't fulfill its part of the agreement and has refused to comply and continues to occupy at least five positions in the Lebanon.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
Short link: