Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran. (Credit: Mojtaba Amani/X)
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem held talks in Tehran on Monday with Iran's new President Masoud Pezeshkian, as the party and Iran remain committed to supporting Hamas in its war with Israel in the Gaza Strip.
"Supporting the resistance front is a religious duty and one of Iran's fundamental policies," Pezeshkian said, according to Al-Nashra. He added that "strengthening relations with Islamic countries is one of the priorities of his new government."
Qassem said that "the defeat of the Zionist entity would not have been possible without the support of Iran."
"Thanks to the resistance of the people of Gaza, the entity will suffer a new heavy defeat," he stated. In an interview with al-Manar broadcaster, Qassem also said that the meeting with the Iranian president focused on "support for the resistance in Lebanon and the region."
Efforts are increasing to avoid an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, after a deadly strike on Majdal Shams in the annexed Syrian Golan, attributed to Hezbollah by Israel and the U.S. despite the party "categorically" denying any involvement in the attack.
Israel and Hezbollah have been engaged in deadly fighting since Oct. 8, 2023 on the Lebanese-Israeli border.
This article originally appeared in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.