Washington to Hezbollah: lay down your arms and stop taking orders from Iran

A US State Department spokesperson said Saturday that the trilateral framework involving the United States, Lebanon and Israel recognizes the Lebanese government as the sole legitimate authority empowered to discuss the country’s future and represent its people.

“The United States stands with the Lebanese people and wants Lebanon to be a safe and sovereign country,” the spokesperson said in a post on X, adding that achieving that goal requires Hezbollah’s disarmament.

The spokesperson accused Hezbollah of refusing to engage with the Lebanese government, the United States or Israel because it is “taking orders from Iran.”

“It is time for Hezbollah to do what is best for Lebanon and the Lebanese people,” the spokesperson said.

Washington wants Hezbollah to surrender its weapons to the Lebanese state, the spokesperson added. If the group agrees to disarm, it can notify the Lebanese government, with which the United States is already in talks, potentially opening the way for efforts to bridge the parties’ differences.

The comments came one day after Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem reiterated his rejection of the framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel and vowed that the Iran-backed group would not surrender.

“We oppose the framework agreement and call for its downfall,” Qassem said in a televised address Friday night.

The framework agreement, reached on June 26 after five rounds of US-mediated negotiations, reportedly calls for Hezbollah’s disarmament, Israel’s gradual withdrawal from areas it occupies in southern Lebanon and the phased deployment of the Lebanese army, beginning in designated pilot areas.