Iran ready to help Lebanon fight terrorists: Shamkhani

“In addition to [its] readiness to [provide] the Lebanese army with weaponry assistance, the Islamic Republic of Iran is prepared to share its experiences for the promotion of security in Lebanon and the region and the fight against terrorist movements,” Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said in a Sunday meeting with Lebanese Defense Minister Samir Moqbel in Tehran.

He added that time has proven Iran’s “proper and principled” approach against terrorist groups in Syria since the outbreak of the crisis in the Arab country in 2011, adding that bloodshed and destruction in Syria would only end through political means based on the nation’s will.

“The incremental growth of terrorism and insecurity in the Middle East, which are rooted in the incorrect policies of certain regional countries and their Western allies, has only been in line with the interests of the Zionist regime [of Israel] and has led to the imposition of huge financial and humanitarian costs on Muslim countries,” the SNSC secretary said.

Last month, Shamkhani said in Beirut that Tehran would provide necessary military equipment to the Lebanese army for the fight against terror.

Lebanon has been rocked by the spillover of the conflict in Syria, where the ISIL Takfiri terrorists are operating. Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011 with ISIL Takfiri terrorists currently controlling parts of it, mostly in east and north.

The Lebanese minister, for his part, said his country attaches great significance to Iran’s assistance in view of the sensitive circumstances in the Arab country.