Hezbollah ready for talks with Lebanese government on defence strategy, MP says

By Jana Choukeir

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said on Thursday the Iran-aligned group is ready to enter talks with the Lebanese government on a national defence strategy, with the focus on ensuring the removal of Israeli troops from Lebanon's territory.

U.S.-backed President Joseph Aoun, who pledged to establish a state monopoly on the control of arms when he took office in January, is set to start talks with Hezbollah about its weapons arsenal, three Lebanese political sources told Reuters.

One of the world's most heavily armed non-state groups, Hezbollah emerged severely weakened from the 2024 conflict with Israel, which was triggered by the Gaza war.

The group suffered heavy losses including the killing of its top leaders and thousands of its fighters. The blow was compounded when its ally Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power in Syria, cutting the group's supply lines from Iran.

In a televised speech, Fadlallah said: "We have expressed our readiness for dialogue to find a defense strategy for Lebanon."

He said any meaningful discussions should focus on confronting Israeli "aggressions" and removing Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

"We are in constant contact with President Aoun. When he calls for dialogue and sets national foundations for it, we are ready," he added.

Israel, which sent ground troops into south Lebanon during the war, has largely withdrawn, although it decided in February not to leave five hilltop positions. It said it intended eventually to hand them over to Lebanese troops once it was sure the security situation allowed.

A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters on Wednesday that the group was prepared to engage in talks with Aoun about its weapons if Israel withdrew from southern Lebanon and halted its military strikes.

Hezbollah’s arsenal, estimated before the latest conflict with Israel at more than 150,000 missiles and rockets according to the CIA World Factbook, has long been a contentious issue.

The group argues that its weapons are necessary to deter Israeli threats.

Hezbollah has consistently rejected calls from its critics in Lebanon to disarm, describing its armament as essential for the defence of the country.

Fadlallah also denied reports suggesting that the group is using Beirut port, which witnessed one of the strongest non-nuclear explosions ever in 2020, to smuggle weapons.

(Reporting by Jana ChoukeirEditing by Peter Graff, William Maclean)