Iran’s offer to assist Lebanese military stands: Iranian MP

A senior Iranian lawmaker says Iran’s offer to provide aid to the Lebanese military stands.

Alaeddin Boroujerdi, who is the chairman of the Iranian Parliament (Majlis)’s Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, made the remark on Friday during his visit at the head of a parliamentary delegation to Lebanon.

Boroujerdi said Iran was serious in its offer to supply arms to the Lebanese military and whether or not that prospect would materialize depended on the Lebanese government.

Iran offered military aid to Lebanon shortly after Saudi Arabia suspended four billion dollars in military aid to Beirut in February 2016. Lebanon has been examining Iran’s offer since then.

The Saudi decision to cut aid came after Lebanon refrained from endorsing Saudi-crafted statements against Iran at separate meetings of Arab countries in Cairo and Jeddah. The Saudi decision also came in the wake of the continued victories by the Syrian army, which is backed by Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement in its battle against Takfiri militants fighting to topple the government in Damascus.

Hezbollah has been successfully helping the Syrian army fight Saudi-backed Takfiri militants in order to prevent the Syrian conflict from spilling over to Lebanon.

Boroujerdi expressed optimism that under the existing circumstances, Tehran and Beirut could promote their ties in different spheres.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he praised the existing stability in Lebanon, which he said is located in a region suffering from terrorist campaigns.

The Iranian lawmaker also congratulated Beirut on the formation of a new government in the country and reaffirmed Iran’s determination to support the Lebanese nation and government.

On Wednesday, a national unity government headed by Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri won a vote of confidence in the parliament.

The new cabinet was announced on December 18, less than two months after the country's parliament elected Michel Aoun, a Christian leader and strong ally of Hezbollah, as president. Aoun’s election ended a 29-month-long political stalemate in the country.

Before visiting Lebanon, the Iranian parliamentary delegation headed by Boroujerdi had paid a visit to Syria, where they held talks with senior Syrian officials, including President Bashar al-Assad, Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem and Parliament Speaker Hadiya Khalaf Abbas. 

During its Lebanon visit, the Iranian delegation is expected to hold meetings with different officials from the Lebanese government and the Hezbollah resistance movement.