IRAN does not give orders to the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon, Iran's ambassador to France said in an newspaper interview published Saturday, without explicitly denying that Tehran supplied weapons to the militants. "As for Hezbollah, our relations have always been emotional and spiritual. It does not take orders from Iran," Ali Ahani said in an interview with Le Monde newspaper.
Asked whether Tehran provided military assistance to Hezbollah, Ahani said: "That is part of the American accusations. Hezbollah has many channels through which it obtains what it needs."
However, the ambassador later added: "We don't have the slightest desire for a military option on a regional level. Support given to Hezbollah does not give Israelis the right to act against Syria or Iran. But if the Israelis want to start World War III, we'll see if the Americans let them."
A report published Friday in Jane's Defence Weekly said Iran will supply Hezbollah with surface-to-air missile systems in the coming months to boost the guerrillas' defences against Israeli aircraft. |