Iran’s top security chief pledged in Beirut on Wednesday that Tehran will continue backing Lebanon, days after the Lebanese government ordered the army to devise a plan to disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia.
Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s National Security Council, said Tehran rejects the disarmament plan and will stand by the Lebanese people. “If the Lebanese people are suffering, we in Iran will also feel this pain, and we will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances,” he told reporters after arriving in Beirut.
Dozens of Hezbollah supporters gathered along the airport road to greet him, with Larijani briefly stepping out of his car to wave to the crowd as they chanted slogans.
During his visit, Larijani is set to meet President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a close Hezbollah ally. His trip comes as Iran faces setbacks in its rivalry with Israel, including during 12 days of open war between the two countries in June.
Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon has waned since a war with Israel ended in a November 2024 ceasefire. The new Lebanese government, backed by the United States, has sought to further limit the group’s power. The ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria in December also severed a key weapons supply route from Iran to Hezbollah.
Iran calls the Lebanese government’s disarmament bid unacceptable, while Hezbollah has denounced it as a “grave sin.” The group is part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” alongside Hamas in Gaza and the Houthi militia in Yemen, united in opposition to Israel.
