Ali Larijani, center, head of Iran's National Security Council, gestures as Hezbollah supporters throw rice to welcome him outside Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, August 13, 2025. (AP/Bilal Hussein)
Iran’s top security chief says Tehran will continue to provide support for Lebanon after Beirut ordered the army to devise a plan to disarm Tehran-backed terror group Hezbollah.
“If… the Lebanese people are suffering, we in Iran will also feel this pain and we will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances,” Larijani, the head of Iran’s National Security Council, tells reporters after landing in Beirut.
Dozens of Hezbollah supporters gather along the airport road to welcome Larijani, who briefly steps out of his car to greet them as they chant slogans of support.
Hezbollah supporters surround the car of Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s National Security Council, as they welcome him outside Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2025. (AP/Bilal Hussein)
In Lebanon, Larijani is scheduled to meet President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, as well as parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who is close to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is part of Iran’s so-called “axis of resistance” — a network of armed groups in the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, that have carried out numerous attacks against Israel. Tehran is thought to have armed the group with missiles and other weapons used against Israel from southern Lebanon.
— with Times of Israel staff
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
