Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday congratulated Iran’s President-elect Massoud Pezeshkian on his victory, highlighting Tehran’s role as a “strong” backer of regional “resistance” groups.
Iran’s new President Masoud Pezechkian (AFP) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
In a letter circulated on the Iran-backed group’s social media channels, Nasrallah congratulated the Iranian people on their “blessed elections.”
Your wishes helped India win. Take a look back at India’s epic journey in the T20 World Cup. Click here
“Hezbollah and all resistance groups in the region have always looked to the Islamic Republic of Iran as a strong, stable and permanent backer,” the letter said.
Tehran provides financial and military support to Hezbollah, which was formed at the initiative of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps after arch rival Israel seized Beirut in 1982 during the Lebanese civil war.
The Shiite Islamic movement is a key part of the so-called Axis of Resistance, an alliance of pro-Iranian militias opposed to Israel and the United States.
The alliance also includes Palestinian militant group Hamas, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and fighters in Iraq.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Iran’s Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that Pezechkian, a reformist candidate who advocates improved ties with the West, had defeated ultra-conservative Saeed Jalili in the presidential runoff election.
The election comes amid rising regional tensions due to the Gaza war, a dispute with the West over Iran’s nuclear program and domestic discontent over the country’s sanctions-hit economy.
The death of ultra-conservative President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash has forced elections not scheduled until 2025.
Hezbollah has been regularly exchanging cross-border artillery fire with Israeli forces in support of its ally Hamas since the day after the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian militants on Israel that sparked the Gaza war.
Hezbollah is the only Lebanese faction that has retained arms since the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war.
{{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
The group’s members have long fought in the Syrian war in support of President Bashar Assad, who also sent his congratulations to the Iranian president-elect early Saturday.
Get the latest updates on World News, USA News, Hollywood News, Anime and top news from around the world. News / World News / Hezbollah leader congratulates Iran’s Pezeshkian on election victory
Source link
