Lebanese Prime Minister Issues Rare Complaint Over Iranian ‘Interference’

Latest Developments

Responding to comments made by a senior Iranian official regarding Iran’s willingness to negotiate with France over the implementation of a key UN Security Council Resolution concerning Lebanon, Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati chided Tehran on October 18, instructing the country’s foreign minister to summon the Iranian envoy in Beirut.

On October 17, the French daily Le Figaro published an interview with Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Ghalibaf in which he suggested that Iran would “negotiate” with France to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for Iran’s Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, to retreat 30 kilometers, just under 19 miles, north of the Israeli border. Mikati said he was “surprised by this position, which constitutes a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to establish a rejected guardianship over Lebanon.”

Mikati’s comments represent a rare case of discord between Beirut and Tehran, which wields enormous power and influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah. On October 12, Ghalibaf travelled to Beirut to meet with Lebanese officials, including Mikati and the speaker of Lebanon’s parliament, Nabih Berri. “I am here at the invitation of the Speaker Nabih Berri, carrying a message from the leader of the Islamic Revolution,” Ghalibaf said, adding that “as always, we stand with the Lebanese people, their resistance, and the government.”

Expert Analysis

“Little importance should be attached to Mikati’s mild rebuke of Ghalibaf. So long as Lebanon does not act against Hezbollah, then Iran’s guardianship and control over Lebanon exists and will remain — and Beirut is not signaling that its acquiescence to Hezbollah’s presence and dominance will change anytime soon.” — David Daoud, FDD Senior Fellow

“Mikati’s response to the Iranian speaker’s comments was a face-saving measure. In reality, he’s echoing the Iranian position, only using different phrasing when saying so.” — Hussain Abdul-Hussain, FDD Research Fellow

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“Road to the Third Lebanon War: Mapping Hezbollah’s War of Attrition Since October 8, 2023,” by David Daoud and Ahmad Sharawi