Hizbullah has created a "state within a state" in Lebanon and must be disarmed, Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora said in an interview published Thursday.
Saniora told Milan-based newspaper Corriere della Sera that the Shiite group can only be disarmed with the help of the international community and once a cease-fire has been achieved in the current fighting. "It's not a mystery that Hizbullah answers to the political agendas of Tehran and Damascus," Saniora was quoted as saying by the newspaper. "The entire world must help us disarm Hizbullah . But first we need to reach a cease-fire."
Saniora said Lebanon is still too weak to attack Hizbullah's stranglehold in the south of the country on its own. "The important thing now is to restore full Lebanese sovereignty in the south, dismantling any armed militia parallel to the national army," he said. "The Syrians are inside our home and we are still too weak to defend ourselves. The terrible memories of the civil war are still too alive and no one is ready to take up arms."
The prime minister was quoted as saying that to disarm the Hizbullah it is also necessary for Israel to help delegitimize it by releasing Lebanese prisoners and withdrawing from the Chebaa Farms.
Meanwhile, Russia strongly criticized Israel over its offensive in Lebanon on Thursday, saying its actions have gone "far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation" and repeating calls for an immediate cease-fire.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said that Russia affirms the need to fight terrorism and called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages, but added that "the unprecedented scale of casualties and destruction" in Lebanon indicates that Israel is using too much force.
The Foreign Ministry statement added that Russia "affirms its commitment to a decisive struggle against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. We also affirm our demands for the immediate and unconditional release of abducted Israeli soldiers."
"However, the unprecedented scale of casualties and destruction bears witness to the fact the actions announced for achieving this goal have gone far beyond the boundaries of an anti-terrorist operation," it said.
