iPhone | iPad
Android
Huawei
The video has garnered over 570k views on social media, with users were quick to share their thoughts in the comments section
KT APPDOWNLOAD
Lebanese PM expected to seek support in Iran visit
TEHERAN, Iran — Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri arrived in Teheran on Saturday to seek Iranian support for his efforts to keep Lebanon stable amid tensions over a UN probe into the assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri.
The visit follows President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s October tour of Lebanon, during which the Iranian leader reinforced Teheran’s ties to the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group, a longtime protege of the Shia powerhouse.
The exuberant welcome the Shia Hezbollah staged for Ahmadinejad in Lebanon threw Hariri’s Western-backed factions in the government on the defensive.
Lebanon’s fragile unity government, which includes Hezbollah, has been struggling ahead of expected indictments by the UN tribunal investigating former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s 2005 slaying.
Speculation that Hezbollah members will be indicted in the case has fueled fears of a new political crisis and violence in Lebanon, and raised concerns over what Iran would do in that case.
Iran, whose ties to Hezbollah date back nearly 30 years, allegedly funds the militant group to the tune of millions of dollars a year and is suspected of supplying much of its arsenal.
In remarks in English, released by his office ahead of the Iran visit, Hariri underlined concerns for stability.
‘Impairing the stability of any country of the region is a threat to the interests of Arabs and Iran at the same time,’ Hariri said. ‘Therefore, I consider that Iran is concerned by all effort to provide elements of stability in all countries of the region, including Lebanon.’
Hariri is expected to meet Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad during the two-day visit, as well as other top Iranian officials, Iranian state television reported.
Former Lebanese lawmaker and senior official in Hariri’s Future Movement, Mustafa Alloush, said the visit could have ‘some effects on Lebanon but they are not guaranteed,’ adding that diplomacy doesn’t necessarily translate to ‘what happens on the ground.’
‘If Iran has the desire, it has the power to reduce tension’ in Lebanon ‘because Hezbollah is part of the Iranian political and military decision,’ Alloush told The Associated Press in Beirut.
More news from
Policy that came into effect on June 1, 2022, prevent over 172 million grocery bags from entering the environment
Folbigg was jailed in 2003 after she was convicted of killing her four infant children, who died separately without explanation between 1989 and 1999
TCL, the world's top two TV brand and top 1 98-inch TV brand unveiled its latest multi-category products for the Middle East and Africa (MEA) market at an exclusive launch event in Dubai
XTB has been systematically expanding its offer with new products
The breach threatens possible massive flooding, and officials ordered hundreds of thousands of residents to evacuate
The government's pledge to rebuild flood-ravaged swathes of the country so they are resilient to future extreme weather have largely failed to materialise
The Gulf state holds second legislative election in nine months; the number of candidates has dropped to 207 from 305 that stood in 2022