“What is taking place today in Lebanon is in reality the continuation of Israel’s 33-day war on this country”, senior cleric Ahmad Khatami told worshippers in Tehran, in reference to Israel’s aerial bombing campaign of much of Lebanon in July which was triggered after the Lebanese militia mounted a cross-border attack on the Jewish state. The war left at least 157 Israelis and over 1200 Lebanese dead.

“Britain, the United States, and Israel are lending diplomatic support to the Lebanese government in order to obtain what they did not obtain in the war”, he said.

Khatami said that Hezbollah had rightly insisted that the current Lebanese government was not a fair representation of the country’s various religious denominations. “Shiites, Sunnis, and Christians must have a share in this country’s cabinet based on their political weight”, he said.

“Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora does not understand this obvious issue and instead deliberately claims that certain people want to turn Lebanon into the scene of war between Iran and the U.S.”, the radical cleric, who is close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said.

“Such remarks will not open the knot of the unpopular government of Lebanon which the Lebanese Hezbollah has described as the U.S. embassy”, he said.

Addressing Siniora, Khatami said, “The U.S.’s rope is worn out. Those foreigners who support you must know that the Lebanese resistance movement which was victorious in the 33-day war shall, by God’s will, be victorious in this political battle”.

Mahmoud Hussein a local observer told Ya Libnan " This is a flagrant interference in Lebanon's internal affairs. Lebanon may have received moral support from the US but Iran is funding and shipping arms to Hezbollah. Hezbollah in fact is a fifth column for Iran in Lebanon ". He added " For an Iranian cleric to attack our prime minister in this rude and belligerent manner is worse than declaration of war".

Yesterday MP Walid Jumblatt accused Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah of conspiring to make Lebanon a satelite of Iran.

Picture: Iranian cleric Ahmad Khatami
Source: Iran Focus, Ya Libnan