The Lebanese Foreign Minister has rebuked a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader for describing Hezbollah as “more essential than bread and water” for Lebanon.
Adviser Ali Akbar Velayati made the comment after Israel assassinated Hezbollah's chief of staff Haitham Ali Tabatabai in an air strike in Beirut on Sunday.
“Ongoing attacks and crimes committed by the Zionist entity against Lebanon show that the presence of Hezbollah has become more important for Lebanon than daily bread,” Mr Velayati told Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency on Wednesday.
The remarks sparked a backlash in Lebanon, with Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji directing a message to his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi.
“I genuinely wanted to believe what you said that Iran does not interfere in Lebanon's internal affairs until your supreme leader's adviser, Ali Akbar Velayati, came out today to guide us on what is truly important in Lebanon and warned us of the consequences of disarming Hezbollah,” Mr Rajji said.
The Lebanese government is under intense US and Israeli pressure to disarm Hezbollah, an armed group and political party whose primary backer is Iran. But the group, weakened by its war with Israel last year, is resisting any conversation about its weapons under the current circumstances.
“What is more important to us than water and bread is our sovereignty, our freedom, and the independence of our internal decision-making, free from ideological slogans and transborder regional agendas that have devastated our country and continue to drag us further into ruin,” Mr Rajji said, in an apparent reference to Hezbollah and the hold Iran has over the group and the support it has offered.
Mr Velayati had also said Hezbollah has “repeatedly protected and saved the people of Lebanon”.
His remarks were also condemned by a bloc of Lebanese politicians opposed to Hezbollah, with Tripoli MP and former interior minister Ashraf Rifi urging Mr Velayati to focus on Iran's problems at home "instead of giving lessons to the Lebanese".
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, while not directly responding to Mr Velayati's comments, said on Thursday that Hezbollah's weapons provided "no deterrence" or protection from Israeli attacks.
Lebanon has repeatedly rebuked Iranian officials for what it says are comments that interfere with Lebanese affairs, and typically are related to Hezbollah's weapons.
Mr Rajji is one of the most notable critics of Hezbollah in the government.
The group once had a dominant grip over internal Lebanese affairs, but that has weakened in the last year amid a change in fortunes for Hezbollah.
Despite a ceasefire that began a year ago, on November 27, Israel has continued assassinating Hezbollah operatives and striking mostly civilian targets inside Lebanon, killing more than 125 people.
Hezbollah officials have said the group remains “committed to the ceasefire” with Israel and will not respond to recent attacks, including the killing of Mr Tabatabai.
Despite thousands of Israeli violations of the ceasefire, Hezbollah has not opened fire on Israeli soil since the truce.
A senior Iranian diplomat in the Middle East, responsible for relations with Hezbollah, recently reiterated to The National that the group “makes its own decisions”. He was speaking after calls from other Iranian officials for retaliation following the attack on Beirut.
The Lebanese Army has begun the process of disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, with the group's approval. But outside this area, the task is expected to be much harder given Hezbollah's stance and army concerns that an overly forceful approach could trigger internal tensions.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have both called for indirect negotiations with Israel to resolve a host of issues, including Israel's occupation of five points in south Lebanon, and its daily bombings. Hezbollah has slammed offers of negotiation from Lebanon, saying Israel and its main backer the US cannot be trusted.
Ahead of the much anticipated visit by Pope Leo on Sunday, which is going ahead despite tensions, Israel carried out a raft of bombings across south Lebanon on Thursday afternoon. The Pope will not be visiting the area.
One year on from the ceasefire, the top UN official in Lebanon warned that "uncertainty remains" and that "the spectre of future hostilities will continue to loom large" if the status quo continues.
"The time for talks is now. No challenge is unsurmountable. A bright future for all can be realised," said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN's Special Coordinator for Lebanon.
