Maronite Patriarch: Hezbollah needs to ‘free itself from Iran, disarm,’ denounces Israeli strikes
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi urged Hezbollah to break from Iran and give its weapons to the Lebanese Army, calling diplomacy the only path to avoid another war.
Hezbollah needs to “free itself from Iran,” and hand over its weapons to the Lebanese Armed Forces, Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, said in an interview with Asharq al-Awsat on Saturday.
Rahi called on the US to pressure Israel to “end its violations of Lebanon,” and hoped that the visit of Pope Leo XIV to the region would serve as a “message of peace,” addressed to both Lebanese and Israelis, reminding them to “avoid war.”
The Pope is carrying a message directed to political leaders that there has been “enough wars, killing, and destruction,” Rahi said.
“For fifty years, Lebanon has lived through conflict. It is time for that to end. War brings only devastation and death. This includes the latest fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. Human lives are being taken,” he stated.
There is ‘no path but diplomacy’
Rahi affirmed his support for Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s stated efforts to pursue a political, diplomatic solution to tensions with Israel.
Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi (C), addresses supporters in Diman, his summer residence in north Lebanon, July 24, 2022; illustrative. (credit: FATHI AL-MASRI/AFP via Getty Images)
“There is no room for war and killing. The only path is diplomacy, long and difficult as it may be,” the patriarch told Asharq al-Awsat.
“The Americans must influence Israel, and Iran must influence Hezbollah,” he affirmed.
Hezbollah “knows that a final decision has been made regarding exclusive state control of arms,” he added.
Rahi also affirmed his perception that Israel “has not respected Resolution 1701 or the ceasefire,” and that “Lebanon risks becoming a pile of stones.”
“Those who bear arms are responsible for achieving peace. Manhood is not measured by firing weapons, but by building peace. It is time for both Israel and Hezbollah to understand this,” he added.
“Weapons do not ensure security. The Lebanese Army ensures security for everyone,” he commented, responding to an Iranian official who alleged that Hezbollah’s terror weapons are a “Lebanese necessity.”
