Lebanon’s president has told a top Iranian security official that Beirut rejects foreign intervention and wants stability for its people.

The visit by Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s top security body, came as the Lebanese government moves to disarm Hezbollah, the militant group that has long been Tehran’s most powerful regional ally.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun rejected Wednesday "any interference" in his country's internal affairs, including the carrying of weapons by any groups.

No group in Lebanon is permitted to bear arms or rely on foreign backing, President Joseph Aoun told a senior Iranian official on Wednesday, days after the cabinet

Israeli drones on Thursday dropped warning leaflets over the southern Lebanese town of Shebaa, cautioning residents to stay away from designated areas near the border, local media said. The leaflets highlighted an area in red and urged locals not to approach it, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported.

Lebanon, plagued by impunity and lack of accountability, marked the fifth anniversary of the Beirut port explosion that devastated large parts of the capital.

Beirut is a destroyed city. It is like a real war zone." A woman carries a child as she walks past damaged shops following Tuesday's blast in Beirut, Lebanon, on August 5, 2020. AZIZ TAHER / REUTERS

Joseph Aoun pledges accountability as US calls for independent judiciary 5 years after 2020 port explosion - Anadolu Ajansı

Airstrikes come as Hezbollah threatens civil war if Lebanon tries to disarm it; Lebanese PM says threats unacceptable, Beirut will do whatever is necessary for peace and stability