Senior Diplomat: Iran Ready to Aid Lebanese Army
Local Editor
Senior Iranian official Alaeddin Boroujerdi said Friday that his country was serious in its intention to arm the Lebanese military.
"This matter lies within the [Lebanese] government's [decision]...if it is willing to do so," the chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Islamic Republic, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said.
Iran's influence in Lebanon is at odds with that of Saudi Arabia, as the countries support opposing political sides.
An Iranian pledge to aid the Lebanese Army created controversy in Lebanon, leading members of the Saudi-backed March 14 coalition to pressure the government to refuse the aid.
The Lebanese Army has been engaged with militants from Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as the Al-Qaeda affiliated Nusra Front, since clashes erupted in the northeastern town of Arsal in 2014.
Boroujerdi's remarks were made during a visit to the graves of martyred Hizbullah commander Hajj Imad Moughniyeh in Beirut's southern suburb.
He expressed his country's staunch position in supporting Lebanon, congratulating the country on its successful political breakthrough that ended more than two years of presidential vacuum.
President Michel Aoun was elected on Oct. 31, ending a crippling vacuum that impacted Lebanon's government and Parliament.
"We believe that within this new [term in office] we can work together on fortifying bilateral cooperation and strengthening the ties between Lebanon and Iran in various sectors," Boroujerdi said.
He said that it was because of the resistance that Lebanon was passing through a stage of calm and stability.
Boroujerdi hailed Iran, Russia and Hizbullah's participation in Syria to defend its stability and security, calling on foreign troops in the neighboring country to immediately leave its territories.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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