Hezbollah urged to lay down weapons

Hezbollah urged to lay down weapons

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Tens of thousands of supporters of Saad al-Hariri, Lebanon's former prime minister, have rallied in Beirut calling for Hezbollah, the Shia group that toppled him, to give up its weapons.

The rally in the capital's Martyrs' Square on Sunday was a show of support for al-Hariri who was pushed into opposition earlier this year when Hezbollah and its allies pulled out of his government.

"It is impossible for weapons to stay raised against the will of a democratic people and against the truth," al-Hariri told the crowd.

"We want to put [Hezbollah's weapons] under the control and authority of the state because it's the army which protects us all."

Many in the crowd waved Lebanese flags and the banners of al-Hariri's Future Movement.

Ghaleb Abu Zeinab, a member of Hezbollah's political bureau, said the group would not respond to Sunday's gathering, but a number of billboards in Beirut lately carried signs saying: "Israel also wants Hezbollah disarmed".

Hezbollah's weapons are a longstanding and contentious political issue in Lebanon and with Iranian backing, the group's arsenal is thought to outweigh that of the national government.

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