Politics Lebanon's head of government criticizes Iran for interference

The caretaker head of government in Lebanon, Nijab Mikati, has criticized Iran in unusually clear terms for attempts to interfere in his country's affairs.

For many years, Iran has exerted great influence on politics and public life in Lebanon with the help of the Shia militia Hezbollah, which has established a state within a state there.

Mikati instructed Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib to summon the deputy Iranian ambassador, as reported by the state news agency NNA. The background to this is a statement by Iranian parliamentary speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, who had offered negotiations between Tehran and Paris on the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 for the Israeli-Lebanese border area.

The UN Security Council resolution provides for Hezbollah and other armed groups to withdraw from the border area with Israel. However, Hezbollah opposed the resolution and has fired thousands of rockets at Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war.

According to NNA, Mikati said of the Iranian offer: "We are surprised by this stance, which is an open interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish an unacceptable tutelage over Lebanon (...)." The government in Beirut is working with all of Lebanon's friends, including France, to pressure Israel into a ceasefire. Mikati's comments were seen by observers as unprecedented in their harshness.

SDA