Report: Berri asks Khamenei for fatwa on handover of precision missiles and drones

Speaker Nabih Berri has relayed to the Iranians three demands reflecting his growing concern over Lebanon’s continued involvement in the “game of axes,” a highly informed diplomatic source said.

“The first demand calls for keep Lebanon fully neutral in any future confrontation between Iran and Israel and refraining from using the Lebanese arena as a pressure card in Tehran’s negotiations with Washington,” the source told the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper.

“The second demand was more sensitive, with Berri asking for a fatwa from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei allowing Hezbollah to hand over the precision-guided missiles and drones, in return for securing U.S. approval of a deal that would lead to a full end to the war,” the sources added, quoting Berri as saying that he can guarantee the U.S. response.

“The third demand was obtaining swift and urgent funds to support tens of thousands of Shiites who have lost their homes, businesses and asset due to the latest war,” the source said.

The Iranian response was “ambiguous,” with Tehran only agreeing to the financing demand, the source added.

Tehran “did not offer any clear answer regarding the neutralization demand or the fatwa, which increased the level of concern among Shiite political and religious circles, who considered that the ‘Iranian silence’ was a message in itself and that Tehran’s decision to cling to the Lebanese card had not changed despite the hefty prices,” the source went on to say.

Berri’s political aide MP Ali Hassan Khalil had visited Tehran in recent days where he held talks with senior officials.

Iran’s foreign ministry meanwhile announced on Sunday that “Iran does not interfere in Lebanon” and that “Hezbollah is an institution that takes the decision regarding its weapons in an independent manner.”