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Lebanese Hezbollah to Continue Struggle Against Israeli Occupation
The guerrillas group Hezbollah of Lebanon said on Tuesday it will continue its struggle against Israel until the Jewish state returns all occupied Lebanese lands.
The statement was made by Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah, upon his arrival for the first visit to Iran after the withdrawal of Israeli forces from South Lebanon.
Although Israel completed its withdrawal from South Lebanon on May 24 after 22 years of occupation, Hezbollah insists Israel must also return the Shebba Farms region on Lebanon's borders with Syria which has been controlled by Israel since 1967.
Israel has pulled its troops out from large parts of Lebanese territory, but some regions are still under its control, so "we will struggle to liberate those territories," Nasrallah was quoted by the Islamic Republic News Agency as saying.
The Hezbollah leader also thanked Iran for its long-time support for the Lebanese resistance against Israeli occupation.
Iran contributed to the great victory of the Lebanese people and everyone is aware of the hardships she has endured for this purpose, Nasrallah told reporters.
"On behalf of the world Muslim leaders, we have come to Iran to congratulate the Iranian Muslim nation and the government on this achievement," he added.
During his visit, Nasrallah is to confer with Iranian officials on the new political scene of the Middle East after the death of the late Syrian president Hafez Assad, the forthcoming next parliamentary election in Lebanon and other topics.
After the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon, the political role of Hezbollah and especially that of Nasrallah himself is widely discussed in regional and international political circles.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his recent visit of the region had a meeting with Nasrallah in Beirut.
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