BEIRUT (Realist English). Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has dismissed accusations that Tehran is meddling in Lebanon’s internal affairs, urging Lebanese leaders to clearly distinguish between allies and adversaries.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Beirut, Larijani said his visit carried a message of support for the independence and resilience of regional nations. Responding to US calls for Lebanese resistance groups to be disarmed, he stressed that Lebanon is capable of making its own decisions.
“Countries outside Lebanon should not dictate to Lebanon. The Lebanese nation is wise and can decide for itself, and any decision the Lebanese government makes in consultation with the Resistance is respected by us,” Larijani said.
He urged Beirut to value those defending the country from Israeli aggression and to address disagreements over the resistance’s weapons through internal dialogue. “The Lebanese government should speak with its various sects and reach a conclusion. The one interfering in Lebanon’s affairs is the one who, from thousands of kilometers away, gives you a plan and a timetable for action. We have not given you any plan,” he said.
Larijani emphasised that Iran does not treat its Lebanese allies as instruments and that the resistance requires no external guidance. He said the Axis of Resistance arose as a response to occupation and aggression, not foreign orders.
“Be careful that Israel does not impose on you through other means what it could not achieve through war. They want to use propaganda to reverse the roles of friend and enemy. The Resistance is a national asset of Lebanon and of all Islamic countries. Your enemy is Israel, which attacked you, and your friend is the one who resisted Israel — so value them,” Larijani warned.
