Ali Larijani, Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, has met with a number of Lebanon’s top officials.
He is the third Iranian official to visit Lebanon since Israel began its escalation in mid-September.
When Iranian officials visit Lebanon, they stress support to the Lebanese state as well as to Hezbollah, their ally.
Some observers see this visit as a message that Iran still has a seat at the negotiating table and still has influence in Lebanon through Hezbollah.
Larijani arrived in Beirut from Damascus, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The Lebanon battlefield is now regarded as the Syria battlefield. Israel wants to be able to act on its own against Hezbollah in Syria, which it has been doing for years – and in recent days we’ve seen stepped-up attacks.
It wants to be able to continue to do this as part of any ceasefire deal and this is a major sticking point.
Lebanon and Hezbollah are not accepting any deal that they say amounts to surrender and violates the country’s sovereignty.
Larijani held separate meetings with Lebanese Prime Minister, Najib Mikati and Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri.
After meeting with Lebanon’s Berri, Larijani stated Iran would support the “resistance” – referring to Hezbollah – in all circumstances, and back the group’s stance in ongoing ceasefire talks.
He stressed, “We are not looking to sabotage anything. We are after a solution to the problems.”
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran, and Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel on October 7, 2023, ignited the war in Gaza.
The Iranian official is slated to hold talks with a number of other Lebanese authorities, prominent political figures as well as the leaders and representatives of Lebanese parties during his stay in Beirut.
Meanwhile, the visit of Ali Larijani, an Adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei to the Lebanese capital today, Friday, November 15, 2024, was punctuated with a renewed aerial attack by Israel on the south-eastern edge of the city.
There were no immediate reports of casualties but the bomb hit a lower level of the building, turning much of it to rubble. The Israeli military had issued a warning ahead of the attack, claiming it was a facility that belonged to Hezbollah.
The US has been trying to broker an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which came as the 13-month war with Hamas broadened in September into southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs.
According to reports in Lebanese media, US Ambassador Lisa Johnson has handed over a draft of a proposed deal to end the Israel-Hezbollah war to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been leading the talks representing Hezbollah.
Larijani’s Trip To Lebanon Deemed As Message To US
Ibrahim Farhat, Associate Professor of conflict resolution at the Doha Institute, opined that Iranian politician, Ali Larijani is trying to craft, with his visit to Beirut, a more favourable ceasefire for Hezbollah while delivering a message to the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump as Iran is “trying to open up and work with it”
Speaking to a news agency, Farhat said, “I think Larijani is visiting for all these reasons. He’s trying to push for a deal, a deal that does not allow for Hezbollah to surrender.”
At the same time, he said that Larijani is communicating to Washington that “we have a role to play and we can make things happen.”
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