Iranian minister says Tehran backs Lebanon in its push to end Israel’s military presence

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister said Tehran supports Lebanon’s efforts to pressure Israel to end its military presence in parts of the country, including diplomatic moves “to expel the occupiers.”

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi added on Tuesday that Iran looks forward to relations with Lebanon based on mutual respect under the new circumstances in the country following the Israel-Hezbollah war.

Araghchi’s visit comes after Iran’s main Lebanese ally, Hezbollah, was weakened by the 14-month war with Israel that left much of the Iran-backed group’s political and military leadership dead.

Araghchi’s visit is his first since October, which came at the height of the Israel-Hezbollah war that ended a month later with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The war killed more than 4,000 in Lebanon, displaced over 1 million people and caused destruction that the World Bank said will coast $11 billion in reconstruction.

Since the war ended, army commander Joseph Aoun was elected president and prominent jurist and diplomat Nawaf Salam became the country’s prime minister. Both Aoun and Salam have repeatedly said that only the state will monopolize the use of weapons in Lebanon.

The visit also comes after the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad was removed from power in December by insurgent group’s opposed to Iran’s influence in the region. Assad was one of Tehran’s closest allies in the Arab world and his country was a main link for the flow of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah.

Aoun told the visiting Iranian official during their meeting that Beirut wants “to strengthen relations from state to state with Iran.” Aoun’s comments were released by his office.

Over the past decades, Iran funded Hezbollah with billions of dollars and sent all types of weapons to the Lebanese group enjoying wide influence in the small Mediterranean nation through.

Since the Israel-Hezbollah war ended, Lebanese authorities have taken tight measures at Beirut’s airport to prevent the flow of funds from Iran to Hezbollah and flights by Iranian companies have been suspended to Beirut.

“We look forward to having relations (with Lebanon) based on mutual respect and non-interference in each country’s internal affairs,” Araghchi told reporters after meeting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He added that Iran backs a national dialogue in Lebanon between rival groups.

Iran condemns the occupation of Lebanese territories “by the Zionist entity and supports all efforts exerted by the Lebanese government and people to expel the occupiers through any way including diplomatic methods,” Araghchi said, referring to five posts Israel refused to withdraw from earlier this year.

Iranian companies are ready to take part in Lebanon’s reconstruction if the Lebanese government wants that, Araghchi said.

Earlier Tuesday, Araghchi held talks with his Lebanese counterpart, Youssef Rajji, and discussed Iran’s ongoing negotiations with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program.