Iran supports Lebanon: Nasrallah

Lebanese Hizbullah Secretary-General Seyed Hassan Nasrallah yesterday said that Iran is a leading benevolent supporter of Lebanon while praising Iran's massive support for his country.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported the Lebanese people and Hizbullah's military branch known as the "Islamic Resistance", he said.

The US administration and Israel intend to cause discord among regional states, he said, adding that if their conspiracies are neutralized they would not be able to achieve anything in this region.

Pointing to US hostility toward Iran, Nasrallah noted that after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of US unilateral policies in the world, the US began looking for other enemies.

He said the US found the Islamic Republic of Iran to be exactly what it was looking for.

Tehran has always had an independent stance and backed the call for unity among the various ethnic and religious groups in Lebanon over the past 23 years, he stressed. The Hizbullah chief reiterated his criticism of US policy, saying it is intended to cause discord in Lebanon.