Iran glorifies Hezbollah's attacks against Israel

Iran on Sunday praised Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah for launching attacks on Israel.

"They (Israel) want Lebanon to be a meat in their mouth, but the powerful Hezbollah has prevented their dream from being realized." Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech.

"The crimes and the atrocities in the recent weeks in Palestine and Lebanon have proved again that the existence of Israel in this region is an evil and cancerous being and an infected tumour," he added.

Former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami hailed Hezbollah as " a radiant sun that emblazes and warms the all Muslims and free nations, including the Palestinians", the local Fars news agency reported.

"What is going on in Lebanon today eliminates all the possible doubts about the necessity for the powerful presence of the resistance movement in that country," Khatami was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar stressed that Israel would "regret its crimes once Muslim states resort to action", according to the report.

Najjar condemned the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, accusing Washington of indulging Israeli escalation.

He also warned Israel of the consequences of invasion into Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi also expressed support for Syria. "Iran was standing by the Syrian people and Israel would face unimaginable losses if it attacks Syria."

"We have offered and will still offer Syria and Lebanon numinous and humanitarian support," he added.

On Saturday, the Israeli army confirmed that it had bombed no- man land between Lebanon and Syria.

But Israel's head of military operations General Gadi Azincot told a news conference in Jerusalem that Syria was not an objective.

Israel launched its offensive Wednesday on Lebanon in retaliation for the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah guerillas.

Meanwhile, over 700 rockets have been fired on northern Israel since the battle broke out.

Source: Xinhua