TEHRAN, Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Iranian spiritual guide Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Tuesday commended Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah as a source of pride for the Islamic world.
"Hezbollah proved that it has the capacity and initiative to conduct jihad and resistance against the enemy and at the same time it has political reasoning and wisdom," Khamenei said after receiving visiting Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheik Hassan Nasrallah.
He stressed that "unity of Muslims in Lebanon is an essential matter for national strength and unity."
For his part, Nasrallah expressed gratitude for Iran's support to the Lebanese people in its bid to liberate its land, the Iranian Mehr News Agency reported.
Nasrallah said the United States' main aim in Lebanon is to disarm Hezbollah to serve Israel's interests.
The U.S. State Department has Hezbollah on its list of terrorist organizations.
