(MENAFN) A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei stated Saturday that Iran opposes the Lebanese government’s plan to disarm Hezbollah, the militant group backed by Tehran, according to reports.

Ali Akbar Velayati, an international affairs adviser, emphasized that “The Islamic Republic of Iran is certainly opposed to the disarmament of Hizbollah” and reaffirmed Iran’s longstanding support for Lebanon’s resistance movement.

Earlier this week, the Lebanese cabinet authorized the military to devise a plan to establish exclusive state control over weapons, which would effectively mean disarming Hezbollah by year’s end. This decision followed a recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that significantly weakened the group’s military power and political standing.

Velayati described the disarmament effort as influenced by US and Israeli interference, saying, “this is not the first time that some in Lebanon have raised such issues” and asserting that, “just as previous anti-Lebanese plans failed, this one will also not succeed, and the resistance will stand firm against these conspiracies.”

The Lebanese cabinet faces pressure from the United States and anti-Hezbollah factions within Lebanon to publicly commit to disarming the group amid concerns that Israel might intensify attacks on Lebanese territory if no action is taken.

Iran’s top diplomat, Abbas Araghchi, stated on Wednesday that any decision regarding Hezbollah’s disarmament should come from the group itself, adding that Tehran supports its ally “from afar, but we do not intervene.”

Hezbollah condemned the Lebanese cabinet’s decision as a “grave sin” and vowed to disregard it.

The Lebanese government has framed the disarmament plan as part of enforcing a ceasefire agreement from November aimed at ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

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