Rajji says Hezbollah, including political wing, 'illegal and destabilizing'

Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji said Hezbollah is a military organization and there is no difference between its political and its military wings.

In an interview with the French news channel LCI, Rajji said that "distinguishing between the political and military wings of Hezbollah is completely unrealistic."

"The party is a single, integrated entity that represents an illegal military organization on Lebanese territory, and is nothing but an armed wing of Iran, used to destabilize the entire Middle East region."

Rajji accused Hezbollah of "dragging Lebanon into a quagmire", adding that the military option has proven to be ineffective. Rajji lauded President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam's "courageous" move to open the door to direct negotiations with Israel, with the aim of reaching a ceasefire and enabling nearly one million displaced people to return to their homes.

The Lebanese minister said he dreams of peace, but first and foremost Israel must withdraw from southern Lebanon and cease its aggression, which, alongside fighters, has killed many innocent civilians. "One must dream of peace, and after that, we will see."