The message is contained in a letter read on Iran's state television that Khamenei reportedly sent to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese Shi'ite militia.
In it, Khamenei said Hizballah "proved that military power depends on faith, jihad, sacrifice, intellect, and prudence, rather than mass weaponry." He also praised the militia for allegedly "destroying the myth of the Israeli army's invincibility."
Khamenei's comments echoed remarks made by Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad on August 15. The United States and Israel accuse Tehran of maintaining strong organizational ties with Hizballah.
Iran denies the charge, saying its support to the Shi'ite militia is purely "moral."
(IRIB, IRNA)
Iran, Syria, And Hizballah
'FOR THE SAKE OF LEBANON': The Islamic Republic of Iran has served as an ideological inspiration for Hizballah since the Lebanese militant group's creation in 1982, and Tehran acknowledges that it supports the organization morally and politically. "Yes, we are friends of Syria and Iran" Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said. "For 24 years we benefited from our friendship with Syria and Iran for the sake of Lebanon...." (more)
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