Hezbollah disarmament ‘must happen’, Lebanese minister tells US think tank

Haneen Sayed told a discussion on Monday that disarming Hezbollah – an Iran-backed militant group – was a demand of her government and its people, and that it “must happen”.

“It’s not an overnight thing, but at least what we want to get to is that there be an agreement, and then the implementation is the second stage.”

Sayed’s comments came as Lebanon and Israel last week extended their ceasefire by three weeks

, even as both sides reported violations of the truce. Her remarks also signalled an awareness that the Lebanese government has to deal with Hezbollah to achieve long-term peace in the country.