Hezbollah lawmaker says Lebanese opponents are working to exclude the group

Reuters

13 January 2025 at 10:31 am·1-min read

Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammad Raad speaks after meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the presidential palace in Baabda

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Senior Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad said on Monday the Iran-backed group's opponents were seeking its fragmentation and exclusion from power in Lebanon.

Speaking at the presidential palace after Hezbollah lawmakers had met with President Joseph Aoun, Raad said his group had "extended its hand" by helping to secure Aoun's election as Lebanon's president last week, only to find the "hand cut off".

Earlier on Monday Lebanese lawmakers backed Nawaf Salam, head of the International Court of Justice, to be the country's new prime minister, a move that reflected the weakened position of Hezbollah, which had wanted incumbent Najib Mikati to keep the job.

(Reporting by Tom Perry; Editing by Gareth Jones)

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