TEHRAN (AFP) – A senior Iranian official on Tuesday hailed the “victory” of Hezbollah in Lebanese elections as a success in the “fight against Israel” and the United States, the state broadcaster reported.
“The Lebanese people and their representatives, Hezbollah and the other resistance groups, scored this victory in the fight against Israel and its allies, including the United States,” said Ali Akbar Velayati, foreign policy advisor to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He referred to Hezbollah’s military support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying the election result reflected the group’s “decisive help to Syria against the terrorists”.
“This victory of the Lebanese people and of the resistance… is a sign of approval for the Lebanese government’s policy of preserving Lebanon’s independence… against Israel,” he added.
After Sunday’s election — the first since 2009 — Hezbollah and its allies look set to secure a parliament bloc large enough to thwart attempts for it to disarm, a longstanding demand of its political enemies.
The Shiite movement was created with Iranian support in 1982 to fight against Israel and is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United States.
It is the key partner in Iran’s “resistance front” against Israeli and US interests in the Middle East, along with allies in Iraq, Syria and the Palestinian Territories.
“The strength of the resistance front will be considerably reinforced in the world” after this election and that in Iraq on Saturday, Velayati said.