Iran president-elect reiterates support for Hezbollah

AFP , Tuesday 9 Jul 2024

Iran's president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian reaffirmed Teheran's support for Lebanon's Hezbollah group and condemned Israel's attacks against Palestinians.

Iran
Newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a visit to the shrine of the Islamic Republic s founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran. AFP

 

The statement, issued to Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah on the IRNA official news agency, was one of the first foreign policy comments from Pezeshkian since his victory in Friday's presidential election runoff.

Tehran provides financial and military support to Hezbollah, which was created after Israel overran Beirut in 1982 during Lebanon's civil war.

In a reference to Hezbollah and allied groups, Pezeshkian said: "The support of the resistance is rooted in the fundamental policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

He said he was confident the "resistance movement" would stop Israel's "warmongering and criminal policies" in Gaza, where Israel has for nine months been waging a bloody war on Gaza, killimg nearly 38,000, mostly children and women.

Since the war on Gaza began, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily fire over Lebanon's border, triggering global alarm about the potential for all-out war as fighting escalates.

On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Tehran "will not hesitate to support the Lebanese nation" and Israel "must be aware of the consequences of any adventurous action in the region, especially towards Lebanon."

Reformist Pezeshkian defeated ultraconservative Saeed Jalili, a former nuclear negotiator, in the election which was brought forward after the death of president Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash.

After the vote, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the election result was a "clear message of demand for change and opposition" from the Iranian people.

On Saturday Nasrallah congratulated Pezeshkian on his election victory and emphasised Tehran's role as a "strong" supporter of regional "resistance" groups.

The resistance movement is a key part of the Axis of Resistance -- an alliance that includes some pro-Iran armed movements that oppose Israel and the United States.

The alliance also includes Yemen's Huthi rebels and fighters in Iraq, as well as Hamas.

* This story has been edited by Ahram Online.

Short link: