Iran Ready to Aid Lebanon Army
Iran is ready to give Lebanon military equipment, such as an air-defense system, to support its armed resistance against Israel, Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran, and in particular Ayatollah (Ali) Khamenei, will not hold back on anything that will help Lebanon be a strong and dignified state, and without conditions," Nasrallah said.
"So far, Lebanon has not requested arms and Iran will not offer them unless asked," he said in a televised address to mark the ninth anniversary of Israel”s troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years.
"But Iran will help any Lebanese government that requests military aid," he told a crowd of thousands gathered in the eastern Lebanon Hizbullah stronghold of Baalbek.
Nasrallah also dismissed as farcical U.S. aid to the Lebanese army, which amounts to close to half a billion dollars in training and armament since 2005 but does not include anti-aircraft defense.
He urged his supporters to vote for his Hizbullah-led opposition alliance in the June 7 parliamentary election, saying his coalition would ensure the army was well equipped to defend Lebanon against Israeli.
"Air defense systems are necessary for the army to face Israel," he said.
"Who can secure these weapons for Lebanon? Vote for the opposition and I will point you in that direction," he said in an apparent reference to Iran, which backs the Hizbullah-led opposition alliance.
The June election will pit the Sunni-led Western-backed parliamentary majority against the Hizbullah-led alliance, which is also supported by Syria.
In 2006, Hizbullah and Israel fought a 34-day war that left over 1,200 Lebanese dead, mainly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.