Iranian official hails Lebanon's role in 'resisting' Israel's plans

BEIRUT

An Iranian parliamentary official on Thursday hailed Lebanon's role in "resisting" Israel's plans.

An Iranian parliamentary delegation arrived in Lebanon on Thursday. The delegation is led by Vahid Jalalzadeh, the head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee in the Iranian Shura Council.

"We appreciate the constructive resistance role played by brotherly Lebanon towards the Zionist enemy and its malicious plans towards the region and its people," Jalalzadeh told reporters following a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

He stressed that "Iran stands by Lebanon, whether in the field of its resistance and confrontation with the Israeli enemy, or in overcoming the difficult econom ic and financial ordeal it is currently facing."

Jalalzadeh also said that he had conveyed an official invitation from the Shura Council Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf to Berri for an official visit to Iran.

A statement by Berri said that the meeting "discussed the latest current political developments in the region."

The Iranian delegation also discussed "bilateral relations" in a meeting with the Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the ministry's headquarters in downtown Beirut, according to the same statement.

The Iranian official and the accompanying delegation met a delegation of Palestinian forces and factions at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, where they reviewed "the latest developments and events on the Palestinian and Islamic fronts," according to an embassy statement.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat