Report: Iran Guards Warn ‘Hezbollah Must be Armed’

REUTERS reports: Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are ready to help rebuild Syria and bring about a lasting “ceasefire” there, chief commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said, adding that disarming Lebanon’s Hezbollah is out of the question, state TV reported on Thursday.

Regional tensions have risen in recent weeks between Sunni Muslim monarchy Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran, whose rivalry has wrought upheaval in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Bahrain. Saudi Arabia has accused the heavily armed Iran-backed Hezbollah of helping Houthi forces in Yemen and playing a role in a ballistic missile attack on the kingdom earlier this month. Iran and Hezbollah both denied the claims.

Iranian state television quoted Jafari as saying: “Hezbollah must be armed to fight against the enemy of the Lebanese nation which is Israel. Naturally they should have the best weapons to protect Lebanon’s security. This issue is non-negotiable.”