Iran's Larijani says Hezbollah 'strong enough' without weapons from 'elsewhere'

Hezbollah is strong enough and does not need weapons from elsewhere, a top Iranian official said from Beirut on Saturday, as he called Lebanon a "strong" and "fortified" front against Israel.

Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrived in the Lebanese capital to take part in ceremonies marking one year since the assassination of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine.

A year of cross-border clashes between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel culminated in over two months of all-out war, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on 27 November, a deal that Israel has continuously violated since.

Nasrallah, who led the group for over three decades, was killed in a massive Israeli air raid on the southern suburbs of Beirut on 27 September 2024. His would-be successor and cousin, Safieddine, was killed days later.

Larijani said that one of the main purposes of his visit was to take part in "honouring the martyrs who defended Lebanon."

"Despite its small geographic size, Lebanon is distinguished by the greatness and strength of its people. It is on this land that the resistance was born – something the entire Islamic world takes pride in," he said.

He claimed that Hezbollah is "so strong that it does not need weapons from elsewhere," describing the group as "a formidable barrier against the Israeli entity".

Hezbollah's main weapons supply route from Iran via Syria was lost after ally Bashar al-Assad's ouster in December.

This reportedly had a major impact on the group's efforts to rebuild its military capabilities after last year's war.

The conflict significantly weakened Hezbollah, with a large part of its arsenal decimated and thousands of its fighters killed or wounded. Some reports have claimed that the Iran-backed group has resorted to manufacturing its own drones and short-range missiles.

Nasrallah’s killing was seen as one of the biggest blows to what is often known as Iran’s "Axis of Resistance," a regional network of Tehran-backed militant groups.

The developments have contributed to a major power shift in Lebanon, where Hezbollah once enjoyed a great deal of influence.

Iranian flights banned

Ties between Lebanon and Iran have witnessed tension over the past year.

Beirut has repeatedly called on Tehran to stop interfering in its affairs, especially with regards to a Lebanese government plan to disarm Hezbollah.

Larijani previously visited Beirut in August to meet with officials, days after the government tasked the Lebanese Army to formulate a disarmament plan.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam have pledged to impose a state monopoly on all arms in Lebanon.

Aoun has said on multiple occasions that he wanted good bilateral ties with Iran based on mutual respect between the two nations, but without any interference by Tehran in Lebanese internal affairs.

In February, Aoun told a visiting Iranian delegation that Lebanon was "tired" of external conflicts playing out on its territory.

Flights to Lebanon from Iran have been banned since early this year, amid claims that they could be carrying cash or weapons for Hezbollah, something both the group and Tehran have denied.

Airport authorities have reportedly received threats from Israel that it could strike any Iranian plane landing in Lebanon’s only civilian international airport if it appears to be transporting money or arms to the group.

According to The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Lebanon denied Iranian requests to transport visitors wishing to attend ongoing ceremonies commemorating the first anniversary of Nasrallah's death.

As a result, Iranian attendees were compelled to choose alternative flight routes – such as via Iraq – with airport security procedures in Beirut expected to be thorough and highly stringent.

"We are two peoples united by a historic friendship, and this bond of friendship and affection between our nations has grown stronger in recent years," Larijani said in Beirut.

"We have always supported the presence of capable, strong, and independent governments in Lebanon, and we hope that developments in the country will move in a direction that brings benefit and prosperity to the Lebanese people," he added.

The Iranian official expressed hope that his visits in Lebanon would yield "positive outcomes for all."

Larijani met with Salam and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He then attended a ceremony at Nasrallah's burial site south of Beirut, where thousands gathered to hear a speech by Hezbollah’s current chief, Naim Qassem.

The programme of events commemorating Nasrallah and Safieddine’s killings is set to continue until 12 October.