Senior Hezbollah official: "We are ready to discuss disarmament"- but on one condition 

A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters on Wednesday that the terror group is ready to hold talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on disarmament - but only on the condition that Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon and stop attacks in the country. According to the report, Aoun plans to start talks with Hezbollah on the issue soon.

According to the official, "Hezbollah is willing to discuss its weapons if Israel withdraws from the points where it remains in Lebanon and stops its aggression against the Lebanese." The official claimed that this was part of a national defense strategy.

The official's announcement represents a dramatic change from Hezbollah's conduct to date, after the terror organization for years refused to accept calls from its critics in Lebanon to disarm, claiming that its arsenal was needed to defend against Israel.

During the war, the Shiite organization lost a lot of weapons, especially after the attacks on missile depots in southern Lebanon that were stored in civilian homes.