Informed sources revealed that the visit of Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, to Lebanon carried “a diplomatic tone rooted in national security rhetoric.”

The sources explained on Thursday that Larijani’s message—delivered during meetings with several Lebanese officials yesterday—was essentially that “Hezbollah is part of Iran’s national security, and there will be no surrender of weapons.”

However, they added that the Iranian official did not deliver a “password” to Hezbollah but rather a message to those demanding disarmament, with the headline: “We are here.”

The sources also noted that the message was directed to “those concerned,” and its essence was “War or talk with us.”

Weapons Monopoly

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun stated during his meeting with Larijani yesterday, “It is not permissible for any party, without exception, to bear arms and seek strength from foreign powers.”

Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, after his own meeting with Larijani, said, “The recent statements by some Iranian officials are unacceptable in both form and substance. These positions, which included direct criticism of Lebanese decisions made by the country’s constitutional authorities—and especially those statements that carried explicit threats—represent a blatant breach of diplomatic norms and a violation of the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty.”

It is worth noting that the Lebanese government approved last week a resolution to restrict weapons to state control, tasking the army with drafting a plan to achieve this goal by the end of the current month, with full disarmament expected by year’s end.

This move came after the United States presented a detailed plan through its regional envoy, Thomas Barrack, outlining the most comprehensive steps to date for disarming Hezbollah, which continues to reject growing calls to surrender its weapons following last year’s devastating war with Israel.