Lebanese PM Mikati Urges Hezbollah To Hand Over Its Weapons
Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati criticized Iran and Iraq for dispatching aid in an interview on Wednesday night, urging the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah to evacuate southern Lebanon as soon as possible and hand over its weapons.
Mikati considered US special envoy Amos Hochstein’s visit to the Israeli-occupied territories and Lebanon a good indicator of progress in the ceasefire negotiations and reiterated his commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
The premier also called for the handover of southern Lebanon and Hezbollah’s weapons to the army and addressed Iran and Iraq, saying that if the two countries want to send aid, it should be delivered by sea; because “we do not want to jeopardize Beirut airport! We will not put anyone at risk to reopen the Syrian border.”
He also addressed the war refugees, saying that Beirut’s schools are not their hotel!
Mikati’s verbosity kicked off following the assassination of Secretary General of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and intensified with Hochstein’s recent visit to Beirut. The path he is taking has already been followed by Former Prime Minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri, ultimately leading to his resignation and political removal.
Mikati is relying on Hochstein’s promises and is of the opinion that the issue of Hezbollah has been settled with Sayyed Hassan’s martyrdom. The situation in Lebanon is dire, but the removal of Hezbollah is nothing more than an illusion, and Mikati is not more powerful than Saad Hariri!
Comment