Qalibaf, at the head of a delegation, arrived at Beirut’s international airport on Saturday following an invitation by his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, and was warmly welcomed by the country’s officials.
He told reporters upon arrival that he came to Beirut to convey a message from Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei as well as Iranian officials saying, “As always, we stand in solidarity with the Lebanese people, government, and resistance.”
He stressed that he would later in the day leave Lebanon for Geneva, Switzerland, where he is scheduled to attend the 149th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) taking place on October 13-17.
At the IPU meeting, Qalibaf said he would “deliver the message of the innocence of the people of Gaza and Lebanon, elaborate on our duties in the international arena in supporting the oppressed, and support the innocence of the people of Lebanon and Palestine.”
Qalibaf, himself, piloted the flight to Beirut amid the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon.
The Iranian parliament speaker met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and also visited Beirut’s southern neighborhood of Dahieh, which has been under intense Israeli strikes over the past week.
“Undoubtedly, all Muslim countries must condemn these crimes by the Zionist regime,” Qalibaf told reporters at Dahieh.
“In this situation, there is no doubt that the Islamic Republic of Iran always supports the people of Palestine and Lebanon and this support continues,” he added. “We also consider taking care of the oppressed and displaced people of this region as one of our duties.”
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have taken a deadlier turn over the past weeks. They have claimed the lives of more than 2,000 Lebanese people, including Hezbollah’s Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
Press TV