New Iran president backs Syria's Assad, Hezbollah
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Iran's president-elect has sent messages to Syria's Bashar Assad and Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, reaffirming support for the two allies. The official IRNA news agency on Tuesday cited Hasan Rohani as saying close Iranian-Syrian ties will be able to confront "enemies in the region, especially the Zionist regime," or Israel.
The note was in response to Assad's congratulatory message on Rohani's June election. Tehran has sided with Assad's regime in Syria's civil war. Rohani also wrote to Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, saying Iran backs the "steadfast nation" of Lebanon and the Palestinians. (AP)
