Rouhani, Zarif hail anniversary of Lebanon victory in 2006 war with Israel

Iran's president and foreign minister have extended their congratulations to their Lebanese counterpart on the 11^th anniversary of the country’s great victory in the 2006 war waged by Israel.

In his Monday message to Michel Aoun, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the “valuable victory” once again proved the “invincibility” of the Lebanese people’s will in defending their land.

Rouhani added that the victory was achieved through sacrifices and acts of bravery made by resistance fighters and Army forces, in addition to the Lebanese nation’s courage and support of the government.

About 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, lost their lives during the 33-day war on Lebanon.

According to the 629-page Winograd Report by the Israeli regime itself, Hezbollah fighters involved in defending Lebanon against the Israeli war defeated the enemy and Tel Aviv was compelled to withdraw without having achieved any of its objectives.

UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which brokered a ceasefire in the 2006 war, called on Israel to respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zarif’s messages of congratulations

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also on Monday sent separate messages of congratulations to his Lebanese counterpart Gebran Bassil and Secretary General of the Lebanese Hezbollah movement Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and hailed the glorious victory against the Israeli regime in the 33-day war.

In his message to the Lebanese foreign minister, Zarif said the victory was the outcome of the bravery of the heroic Lebanese nation and national unity among all ethnic groups and the leaders of political and popular forces in the country.

It would further boost Lebanon’s power in the face of the Israeli regime’s excesses and expansionism, he added.

In his message to Nasrallah, the Iranian minister said the Hezbollah chief’s prudence and the sacrifices and martyrdom-seeking spirit of the Islamic Resistance’s fighters as well as the resistance of all the Lebanese people resulted in such a great victory against the Israeli regime and its supporters.

This triumph along with other achievements by the Islamic resistance’s fighters has further disappointed regional and international supporters of the Tel Aviv regime, he added.

In a speech on Sunday on the anniversary of Israel's defeat in the 33-day military onslaught against Lebanon, Nasrallah said Israel is not able to launch a new war on Lebanon, because it knows that Hezbollah is much more powerful than 2006 and any such war would cost Tel Aviv dearly.

The Hezbollah chief added that the main reason behind the victory of Hezbollah fighters in the war with Israel was their patience, steadfastness, valor and faith.

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