Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (C) visiting Maroun el-Ras, South Lebanon, under heavy escort, a few steps away from Israeli settlements, visible in the background, on April 28, 2023. (Credit: Nabil Ismail)
BEIRUT — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited South Lebanon on Friday, where he toured the town of Maroun al-Ras just steps from the border with Israeli-controlled territory, according to images provided to L'Orient Today by a photographer at the scene.
Amir-Abdollahian, who is on an official visit to Lebanon, was accompanied Friday by Hezbollah MPs Hassan Ezzeddine, Ibrahim Moussawi and Amin Cherri.
During his visit to Maroun al-Ras, the foreign minister posed next to a bust of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in January 2020 in Iraq by a US drone strike.
As part of his visit since Wednesday, Amir-Abdollahian met with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
On Thursday, the Iranian minister also met with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. He is also scheduled to give a press conference on Friday at 4 p.m.
This is Abdollahian's second visit to Beirut in three months, after a visit in mid-January, and his first since a China-brokered normalization agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia was reached on March 10 in Beijing.