Wassim Seif El Din, Ahmed Asmar
24 April 2025•Update: 24 April 2025
BEIRUT / ANKARA
Lebanon demanded Iranian Ambassador Mojtabi Amani on Thursday abide by diplomatic norms following controversial comments about the arms of the Lebanese group Hezbollah.
On Friday, Amani wrote on his X account that disarming Hezbollah would be “a clear conspiracy against nations.”
In response, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry urged the Iranian diplomat to “abide by diplomatic norms specified in international conventions, including the Vienna Convention, especially articles related to the sovereignty of countries, and to avoid interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs.”
The Iranian envoy was summoned to the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, a day after he apologized for being unable to show on Wednesday due to a busy schedule.
Iran is a major backer of the Hezbollah group.
Last week, Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said that his group would not allow its disarmament.
"We will never allow anyone to disarm Hezbollah or the resistance; this idea must be erased from consideration," Qassem said.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun also said on Tuesday that any differences regarding Hezbollah arms “would be resolved through communication and dialogue.”
A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since November, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah, which escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.
Lebanese authorities have reported more than 2,764 Israeli violations of the truce, including the deaths of at least 194 victims and injuries to 485 others.
Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply. It still maintains a military presence at five border outposts.
